IUE

International Ultraviolet Explorer

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General

Designation	10637 / 78012A
Launch date	26 Jan 1978
Country of origin	International
Operator	NASA + ESA
Mission	Scientific: UV astronomy
Perigee/Apogee	30252/41315 km
Inclination	34.5°
Period	1435.9 min
Launch vehicle	Thor Delta #132
Mass at launch	671 kg

A joint NASA/ESA/SERC (Search and Engineering Research Council) observatory satellite designed for ultraviolet spectrometry of cosmic UV sources. ESA's contribution was the construction of the spacecraft's solar panels and a ground station at Villafranca, Spain.

On 1st October 1995 the primary control of the still operating spacecraft was transferred from NASA to ESA. This because of NASA's cost reduction efforts.

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External resources

http://archive.stsci.edu/iue/

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End of life

Out of service	30 Sep 1996
Cause	planned end of exploitation

Technical data

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Specifications

Mass at launch	644 kg
Length	4.17 m
Width	1.45 m
Solar array	45 m²
Stabilization	3-axis
Design lifetime	3 years

Payload: 0.45 m diameter UV telescope + 4 spectrographs

Telemetry: 138.86 & 2249.0 MHz
Command: 149.0 MHz

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