Interbol
Two pairs of spacecraft designed to measure different parts of Earth's magnetic
field: one pair with orbits of 500 km by 200,000 km (tail probes), the other
with orbits of 500 km by 20,000 km (auroral probes). Originally an Intercosmos
project with a launch planned for the late 1980s, Interbol was delayed until
1995-96 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Each pair of spacecraft
consists of a Russian Prognoz-M (1,250-kg tail probe and 1,400-kg auroral
probe) and a Czech Magion (50 kg) satellite. Both Prognoz probes carried
a variety of plasma and charged particle detectors, including Swedish, French,
and Canadian instruments. The Magion subsatellites can fly in close proximity
to the Prognoz or maneuver to as much as 10,000 km from the mother craft.
| spacecraft |
launch date |
launch vehicle |
launch site |
orbit |
mass (kg) |
| Interbol 1 |
Aug. 2, 1995 |
Molniya-M |
Plesetsk |
4,426 × 188,331 km × 68.2° |
1,250 |
| Interbol 2 |
Aug. 29, 1996 |
Molniya-M |
Plesetsk |
239 × 1,093 km × 62.8° |
1,400 |
Related category
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
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