Please make a donation to support Gunter's Space Page.
Thank you very much for visiting Gunter's Space Page. I hope that this site is useful and informative for you.
If you appreciate the information provided on this site, please consider supporting my work by making a simple and secure donation via PayPal. Please help to run the website and keep everything free of charge. Thank you very much.

Astro B (Tenma)

Astro B [ISAS]

The Astro B (renamed Tenma after launch) X-ray astronomy mission had the following major objectives:

  • study of X-ray source spectra with good energy resolution,
  • study of temporal variations of X-ray sources,
  • all-sky survey for X-ray bursts and transients, and
  • observation of soft X-ray sources with a reflecting telescope.

The spacecraft could spin at 0.546, 0.137, or 0.068 rpm with the aid of a momentum wheel. The spin axis was maneuvered by magnetic torquing.

Four experiments were on board of the satellite:

  • Gas Scintillation Proportional Counters
  • Hadamard Transform Telescope
  • All Sky X-Ray Monitor
  • X-Ray Reflecting Telescope
Nation: Japan
Type / Application: Astronomy, X-Ray
Operator: ISAS
Contractors:
Equipment: see above
Configuration:
Propulsion:
Power: 4 deployable fixed solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime:
Mass: 216 kg
Orbit: 489 km × 503 km, 31.5°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
Astro B (Tenma) 1983-011A 20.02.1983 Ka LP-M M-3S

References:

Cite this page: