Hélios 2B

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General

Designation	36124 / 09073A
Launch date	18 Dec 2009
Country of origin	France
Mission	Military: reconnaissance
Perigee/Apogee	680 km sun-synchronous
Inclination	98.1°
Period	98.2 min
Launch vehicle	Ariane V193

Launch initially planned in 2008. Entered service in April 2010.

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End of life

Out of service	Mar 2022
Cause	lowering orbit
Decay	14 Dec 2023

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	Astrium under CNES control
Platform	Spot Mk 3
Mass at launch	4200 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension	6.0 x 3.6 x 3.4 m
Solar array
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power
Design lifetime	9 years

The instrument, designated HRZ for "High Resolution Zoom," is the successor to the imaging assembly on the Helios 1 satellites. It has a mass of 1,124 kg, consumes 418 W of power in standby mode and up to 893 W in use. It offers a significant performance improvement compared to its predecessor, especially in terms of spatial resolution and spectrum width. In particular the ground footprint has been considerably improved, and the incorporation of an infrared channel will enable complementary night detection capabilities.

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