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SFU 1
SFU 1 [ISAS]
SFU (Space Flyer Unit) was a Japanese space laboratory launched by the same H-2 + SSB rocket that launched GMS 5. It carried an infrared telescope (IRTS), and instruments and supplies for microgravity experiments.
IRTS was Japan's first orbiting telescope dedicated to infrared observations (1 - 1000 micron range) of the interstellar medium, late type stars and interplanetary dust. IRTS instrumentation was attached to a multi-purpose Space Flyer Unit (SFU). The four primary science instruments were the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS), the Mid Infrared Spectrometer (MIRS), the Far-Infrared Line Mapper (FILM), and the Far-Infrared Photometer (FIRP). All instruments were located at the focal plane of a 15-cm aperture telescope. Approximately 7 percent of the sky was surveyed during a four-week period.
SFU was retrieved by the Shuttle STS 72 on 13 January 1996 after jettisoning the solar panels.
| Nation: | Japan |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Microgravity, Astronomy (Infra red), Shuttle retrievable carrier |
| Operator: | NASDA |
| Contractors: | Mitsubishi Electric (MELCO) |
| Equipment: | IRTS |
| Configuration: | |
| Propulsion: | |
| Power: | 2 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | 4000 kg |
| Orbit: | 344 km × 415 km, 28.4° |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFU 1 | 1995-011A | 18.03.1995 | Ta YLP-1 | H-2 + SSB | with GMS 5 |
References:
- JAXA / ISAS: SFU
