Sakigake
A Japanese prototype interplanetary spacecraft launched by ISAS
(Institute of Space and Astronautical Science) to encounter Halley's
Comet. It was identical to Suisei except
for its payload which consisted of three instruments to measure plasma wave
spectra, solar wind ions, and interplanetary magnetic fields. Like Suisei,
it was designed to test basic technology for Japanese deep space missions,
including communication and attitude control and determination, as well
as gather scientific data. Sakigake successfully flew within 7 million kilometers
of Halley's Comet on March 11, 1986, and swept past Earth on Jan. 8, 1992,
coming as close as 88,997 km – the first Japanese planetary flyby.
However, controllers lost contact with the probe in November 1995, cutting
short its extended mission which would have taken it past comet Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova
in 1996 and Giacobini-Zinner in 1998. Sakigake means "pioneer."
| launch date |
Jan. 7, 1985 |
| launch vehicle |
M-3S |
| launch site |
Kagoshima |
| mass |
141 kg |
Related entry
• comet
and asteroid missions
Related categories
• JAPANESE
SPACECRAFT
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
• JAPAN
IN SPACE
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia
of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia
of History
BACK TO TOP
|
