NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Jikiken

Launch Time
Sat Sep 16, 1978 05:00 UTC

Final flight of Mu-III H.

Rocket

Mu-III H
ISAS
Status: Retired
Payload to LEO: 270 kg
Stages: 4
Strap-ons: 8

Mission Details

Jikiken

This mission was part of the Japanese contribution to the International Magnetospheric Study, and it carried out coordinated observations with Exos A (Kyokko). Investigations of correlated mechanisms between particles and fields and plasma turbulence were made with in situ measurement techniques using electrostatic particle analyzers. The spacecraft, a 12-sided polyhedron, carried extendable dipole antennas with lengths of 103 m and 69.6 m, and a 1-m boom for a vector magnetometer. A solar panel array provided 30 W into a battery and regulator system. The spacecraft spin-stabilized at 150 rpm but dropped to 3 rpm when the two sets of antennas were extended. The attitude was measured with a sun sensor to an accuracy of 0.5 deg. A 0.5 W136 MHz PCM/PM telemetry system handled 256 or 1024 bps, and a 2 W400 MHz PM system handled wideband 10 kHz or 3 kHz data. Data acquisition was in real time except for a 10-Kbyte memory for housekeeping and plasma parameter data.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 92.0 kg
Highly Elliptical Orbit

Location

Mu Pad, Uchinoura Space Center, Japan

Stats

1978

90th orbital launch attempt

Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science

10th mission
2nd mission of 1978
8th successful mission
3rd consecutive successful mission

Mu-III

6th mission
2nd mission of 1978
5th successful mission
3rd consecutive successful mission