Hipparcos

Class: Astronomy. Type: Visible. Destination: Geosynchronous Orbit. Nation: Europe. Agency: ESA.

Scientific satellite for astrometry. Didn't reach GEO due to AKM failure; measured star positions. Frequency plan 2054.25 /2241 MHz. Launch time 2325:53 UT. Designator ESA/89/03.

Typical orbit: 542 km x 35836 km at 7 degrees inclination. Mass: 1,130 kg (2,490 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Ariane 44LP.

Hipparcos Chronology

1989 August 8 - Hipparcos - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 44LP. Mass: 1,130 kg (2,490 lb). Perigee: 542 km (336 mi). Apogee: 35,836 km (22,267 mi). Inclination: 6.70 deg. Period: 638.70 min.
Didn't reach GEO due to AKM failure; measured star positions. Scientific satellite for astrometry. Frequency plan 2054.25 /2241 MHz. Launch time 2325:53 UT. Designator ESA/89/03.

Bibliography and Further Reading

McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.

USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

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