Misplaced Pages

Ginga (satellite)

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Japanese X-ray astronomy satellite For other uses, see Ginga (disambiguation).
Ginga
NamesAstro-C before launch
Mission typeX-ray Astronomy
OperatorInstitute of Space and Astronautical Science
University of Tokyo
COSPAR ID1987-012A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.17480
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass400 kg (880 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date06:28:00, February 5, 1987 (UTC) (1987-02-05T06:28:00Z)
RocketM-3S2, mission M-3S2-3
Launch siteUchinoura Space Center
End of mission
Decay dateNovember 1, 1991 (1991-11-01)
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
Eccentricity0.01365
Perigee altitude517 km (321 mi)
Apogee altitude708 km (440 mi)
Inclination31.1°
Period97 min
EpochFebruary 5, 1987

ASTRO-C, renamed Ginga (Japanese for 'galaxy'), was an X-ray astronomy satellite launched from the Kagoshima Space Center on 5 February 1987 using M-3SII launch vehicle. The primary instrument for observations was the Large Area Counter (LAC). Ginga was the third Japanese X-ray astronomy mission, following Hakucho and Tenma (also Hinotori satellite - which preceded Ginga - had X-ray sensors, but it can be seen as a heliophysics rather than X-ray astronomy mission). Ginga reentered the Earth's atmosphere on 1 November 1991.

Instruments

  • Large Area Proportional Counter (LAC 1.5-37 keV)
  • All-Sky Monitor (ASM 1-20 keV)
  • Gamma-ray Burst Detector (GBD 1.5-500 keV)

Highlights

  • Discovery of transient Black Hole Candidates and study of their spectral evolution.
  • Discovery of weak transients in the galactic ridge.
  • Detection of cyclotron features in 3 X-ray pulsars: 4U1538-522, V0332+53, and Cep X-4.
  • Evidence for emission and absorption Fe feature in Seyfert probing reprocessing by cold matter.
  • Discovery of intense 6-7 keV iron line emission from the Galactic Center region.

External links

Space telescopes
Operating
Radio and Microwave
Infrared
Optical
Ultraviolet
X-ray and Gamma-ray
Other (particle
or unclassified)
Planned
Proposed
Retired
Hibernating
(Mission completed)
Lost/Failed
Cancelled
Related
Japanese space program
  • Italics indicates projects in development.
  • Symbol indicates failed projects.
  • Strikethrough lines indicate cancelled projects.
Space agencies
National space agencies
Joint development partners
Astronomical observation
Past
Active
Future
Communications satellites, broadcasting satellites and satellite navigation systems
Past
Active
Future
Earth observation
Past
Active
Future
Engineering tests
Past
Active
Future
Human spaceflight
Past
Active
Future
Space probes
The Moon
Past
Active
Future
Others
Past
Active
Future
Reconnaissance satellites
Past
  • IGS-Optical
    • 1
    • 2
    • Experimentally 3
  • IGS-Radar
    • 1
    • 2
Active
  • IGS-Optical
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 6
    • Experimentally 5
  • IGS-Radar
    • 3
    • 4
    • Spare
    • 5
    • 6
Future
  • IGS-Optical
    • 7
    • 8
  • IGS-Radar
    • 7
    • 8
Private small satellites
Past
Active
Future
← 1986Orbital launches in 19871988 →
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ).
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).


Stub icon

This article about one or more spacecraft of Japan is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Stub icon

This article about a specific observatory, telescope or astronomical instrument is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

Categories: