HETE 2
HETE-2 satellite | |
| Names | Explorer 79 HETE-2 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | High-energy astronomy |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 2000-061A |
| SATCAT no. | 26561 |
| Mission duration | 18 months (planned) 7.5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXXIX |
| Spacecraft type | High Energy Transient Explorer |
| Bus | HETE |
| Manufacturer | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Launch mass | 124 kg (273 lb) |
| Dimensions | 100 × 50 × 50 cm (39 × 20 × 20 in) |
| Power | 168 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 9 October 2000, 05:38:18 UTC |
| Rocket | Pegasus-H (F30) |
| Launch site | Kwajalein Atoll |
| Contractor | Orbital Sciences Corporation |
| End of mission | |
| Deactivated | March 2008 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 590 km (370 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 650 km (400 mi) |
| Inclination | 1.95° |
| Period | 95.70 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| French Gamma Telescope (FREGATE) Soft X-ray Camera (SXC) Wide Field X-Ray Monitor (WXM) | |
Explorer program | |
High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE-2; also known as Explorer 79) was a NASA astronomical satellite with international participation (mainly Japan and France). The satellite bus for the first HETE-1 was designed and built by AeroAstro, Inc. of Herndon, Virginia and was lost during launch on 4 November 1996; the replacement satellite, HETE-2 was built by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) based on the original HETE design.