Hibari

Also called Skylark

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General

Designation	49400 / 21102F
Launch date	9 Nov 2021
Country of origin	Japan
Mission	Technology
Perigee/Apogee	547/565 km, sun-synchronous
Inclination	97.6°
Period	96 min
Launch vehicle	Epsilon #5

From the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), 55 kg

The purpose of this satellite is the on-orbit demonstration of Variable Shape Attitude Control (VSAC) technology where attitude and orbit are controlled using a variable structure, and the satellite adjusts the attitude via the recoil from the movement of the four movable solar cell paddles. By deploying and retracting the paddles, atmospheric drag can be adjusted and used for orbit control.

It is also equipped with a small camera as an observation device for checking paddle operation, an optical telescope for precise attitude guidance, and an ultraviolet camera developed jointly with ABLIC Inc. The HIBARI mission is planned to include the photographing of ultraviolet radiation from the auroras over the North and South Poles, and observing the interaction site between the Earth's magnetosphere and charged particles.


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