Hinode (satellite)
Artist's impression of the Hinode spacecraft in orbit | |
| Names | Solar-B |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Heliophysics |
| Operator | JAXA / NASA / PPARC |
| COSPAR ID | 2006-041A |
| SATCAT no. | 29479 |
| Website | JAXA Hinode mission, NASA Hinode mission |
| Mission duration | 19 years, 5 months, 24 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Mitsubishi Electric |
| Launch mass | 700 kg (1,500 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 22 September 2006, 21:36 UTC |
| Rocket | M-V (2) |
| Launch site | LP-M, Uchinoura Space Center |
| Contractor | ISAS |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Semi-major axis | 7,044 km (4,377 mi) |
| Perigee altitude | 662.1 km (411.4 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 685.5 km (425.9 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.1° |
| Period | 98.1 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) X-ray Telescope (XRT) Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) | |
Hinode (/ˈhiːnoʊdeɪ/; Japanese: ひので, IPA: [çinode], Sunrise), formerly Solar-B, is a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Solar mission with United States and United Kingdom collaboration. It is the follow-up to the Yohkoh (Solar-A) mission and it was launched on the final flight of the M-V rocket from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan on 22 September 2006 at 21:36 UTC (23 September, 06:36 JST). Its initial orbit was perigee height 280 km (170 mi), apogee height 686 km (426 mi), inclination 98.3 degrees, after which the satellite maneuvered to the quasi-circular Sun-synchronous orbit over the day/night terminator, which allows near-continuous observation of the Sun. On 28 October 2006, the probe's instruments captured their first images.
The data from Hinode are being downloaded to the Norwegian, terrestrial Svalsat station, operated by Kongsberg a few kilometres west of Longyearbyen, Svalbard. From there, data is transmitted by Telenor through a fibre-optic network to mainland Norway at Harstad, and on to data users in North America, Europe and Japan.