Chinese H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE), also named Xihe (Chinese: 羲和) after the solar deity,[1] is China's first solar observatory. It was launched aboard a Long March 2D rocket on 14 October 2021. CHASE is a 508 kg (1,120 lb) satellite operating at a 517-kilometer-altitude Sun-synchronous orbit, with an orbital period of around 94 minutes.[2][3]
Mission type | Solar astronomy |
---|---|
Operator | CNSA |
COSPAR ID | 2021-091A |
SATCAT no. | 49315 |
Mission duration | Elasped: 3 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
Launch mass | 508 kg |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 14 October 2021, 10:51:00 GMT |
Rocket | Long March 2D |
Launch site | Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center |
Contractor | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Sun-synchronous orbit |
Inclination | 98° |
Period | 94 minutes |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Clark, Stephen (18 October 2021). "China launches orbiting solar observatory". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (14 October 2021). "China launches first solar observatory, tests grid fins". SpaceNews. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ Davenport, Justin (14 October 2021). "China launches hydrogen-alpha solar telescope aboard Long March 2D". NASASpaceFlight. Retrieved 22 June 2022.