NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

THEMIS

Launch Time
Sat Feb 17, 2007 23:01 UTC

Rocket

Delta II 7925-10C
Image Credit: ULA
ULA
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 3,511 kN
Payload to GTO: 1,747 kg
Stages: 3
Strap-ons: 9
Rocket Height: 38.9 m
Fairing Diameter: 3.0 m
Fairing Height: 8.9 m

Mission Details

THEMIS

The Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission began in February 2007 as a constellation of five NASA satellites (THEMIS A through THEMIS E) to study energy releases from Earth's magnetosphere known as substorms, magnetic phenomena that intensify auroras near Earth's poles. The name of the mission is an acronym alluding to the Titan, Themis.

Three of the satellites orbit the Earth within the magnetosphere, while two have been moved into orbit around the Moon. Those two were renamed ARTEMIS for Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence and Electrodynamics of the Moon’s Interaction with the Sun. THEMIS B became ARTEMIS P1 and THEMIS C became ARTEMIS P2.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 630.0 kg
Highly Elliptical Orbit

Location

SLC-17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Stats

2007

5th orbital launch attempt

United Launch Alliance

2nd mission
1st mission of 2007
2nd successful mission

Delta II

127th mission
1st mission of 2007
125th successful mission
72nd consecutive successful mission