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Astron

Diagram of the Astron observatory
Mission type	Astrophysics
Operator	Soviet space program CNES
COSPAR ID	1983-020A
SATCAT no.	13901
Mission duration	8 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus	4MV
Manufacturer	NPO Lavochkin
Launch mass	3,250 kg (7,170 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	23 March 1983 12:45 (1983-03-23UTC12:45) UTC
Rocket	Proton-K/D-1
Launch site	Baikonur 200/39
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	23 March 1991
Orbital parameters
Reference system	High Earth
Semi-major axis	108,531 km (67,438 mi)
Eccentricity	0.6575927
Perigee altitude	30,791 km (19,133 mi)
Apogee altitude	173,530.2 km (107,826.7 mi)
Inclination	48.4°
Period	5,930.5 minutes
Mean motion	0.24281115 rev/day
Epoch	19 July 2017 07:25:15 UTC
Main telescope
Collecting area	0.17 m (1.8 sq ft)
Wavelengths	X-ray: 2–25 keV Ultraviolet: 150–350 nm

Astron was a Soviet space telescope launched on 23 March 1983 at 12:45:06 UTC, using the Proton-K rocket. Based on the 4MV spacecraft design and operational for six years, Astron was the largest ultraviolet space telescope of its time.

The project was headed by Alexandr Boyarchuk. The spacecraft was designed and constructed by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and NPO Lavochkin. A group of scientists from these institutions was awarded the USSR State Prize for their work.

The payload consisted of an 80 cm ultraviolet telescope, which was jointly designed by the USSR and France, and an X-ray spectroscope. It could take UV spectra 150-350 nm.

Placed into an orbit with an apogee of 185,000 kilometres (115,000 mi), Astron was capable of making observations outside the Earth's umbra and radiation belt.

Among the most important observations made by Astron were those of SN 1987A supernova from March 4 to March 12, 1987, and of Halley's Comet in December 1985, the latter of which enabled a group of Soviet scientists to develop a model of the comet's coma.

Operation of the observatory ended on 23 March 1991.

See also

• Granat - a later space observatory based on the Venera spacecraft bus

References

1. ^ Gunter D. Krebs. "Astron 1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
2. Mark Wade. "Astron". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
3. ^ "ASTRON". N2YO.com. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
4. ^ T. S. Kelso. "Astron (TLE)". CelesTrak.org. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
5. Jonathan McDowell. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
6. "Spektr-UF Project History" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 March 2005.
7. "Alexander Boyarchuk" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
8. A. A. Boyarchuk (1994). Астрофизические исследdeaования на космической станции "Астрон" [Astrophysical research on the Astron space telescope] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Nauka.
9. "Crimean Astrophysical Observatory" (in Russian). Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
10. "The Astron Satellite". NASA / Goddard. 26 June 2003. Archived from the original on 26 August 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
11. ^ A. A. Boyarchuk; V. P. Grinin; A. M. Zvereva; P. P. Petrov; A. I. Sheikhet (1986). "A model for the coma of Comet Halley, based on the Astron ultraviolet spectrophotometry". Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal (in Russian). 12: 696–706. Bibcode:1986PAZh...12..696B.
12. A. A. Boyarchuk; R. E. Gershberg; A. M. Zvereva; P. P. Petrov; A. B. Severnyj; et al. (1987). "Observations on Astron: Supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud". Pis'ma v Astronomicheskii Zhurnal (in Russian). 13: 739–743. Bibcode:1987PAZh...13..739B.
13. B. Harvey; O. Zakutnyaya (2011). Russian Space Probes: Scientific Discoveries and Future Missions. Springer Praxis. pp. 376–380. ISBN 978-1-441-98149-3.

v t e Soviet and Russian space program
Roscosmos
Launch sites	Baikonur Cosmodrome (in Kazakhstan) Dombarovsky Kapustin Yar Plesetsk Cosmodrome Svobodny Cosmodrome (defunct) Vostochny Cosmodrome
Launch vehicles	Angara Proton Soyuz
Human spaceflight programs	Past Vostok Voskhod Salyut Almaz (incorporated into Salyut program) / TKS Soyuz-Apollo (joint) Mir Shuttle–Mir (joint) Energia / Buran Cancelled Zond (7K-L1) (Moon flyby) Soviet crewed lunar programs (Moon landing) Zvezda (moonbase) TMK (Mars/Venus flyby) Spiral Zvezda Zarya MAKS Kliper Active International Space Station (joint) Russian Orbital Segment Soyuz In development Orel
Robotic programs	Past Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik (1961–1982) Prognoz (1972–1996) Luna (1958–1976) Venera (1961–1985) Zond (1964–1970) Astron (1983-1991) Vega (1984-1987) Phobos (failed) (1988-1989) Granat (1989-1998) Gamma (1990-1992) Mars 96 (failed) (1996) Resurs-DK No.1 (2006-2016) CORONAS (1994-2009) Fobos-Grunt (failed) (2011) Spektr-R (2011–2019) Luna 25 (failed) (2023) Cancelled Kazachok Active Bion-M Elektro–L Trace Gas Orbiter (joint) Meteor-M Resurs-P Spektr-RG In development Luna-Glob Luna 26 Luna 27 Luna 28 Spektr-UV
Communications	Sputnik (begun 1957) Sputnik 1 Sputnik 2 Sputnik 3 Sputnik 41 Sputnik 99 Luch Deep Space Network
Concepts	Baikal-Angara Laplace-P Mars-Grunt Mercury-P OPSEK Spektr-M Venera-D Sfera
Images and artwork	Mission patches
Related	List of cosmonauts Cosmonaut ranks and positions Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation Soviet space dogs Laika Belka and Strelka Veterok and Ugolyok Ivan Ivanovich Soviet space exploration history on Soviet stamps Cosmonauts Alley Monument to the Conquerors of Space Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics Out of the Present (1995 documentary) Mission to Mir (1997 documentary)
See also: Space industry of Russia Russian Aerospace Defence Forces

• Space telescopes
• Ultraviolet telescopes
• Soviet space observatories
• 1983 in the Soviet Union
• Spacecraft launched in 1983