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Galaxy Evolution Explorer

Galaxy Evolution Explorer
GALEX.jpg
Illustration of GALEX
Names Explorer-83, SMEX-7
Mission type Ultraviolet astronomy
Operator NASA / JPL
Caltech
COSPAR ID 2003-017A
SATCAT no. 27783
Website http://www.galex.caltech.edu/
Mission duration Planned: 29 months
Final: 10 years and 1 month
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer Orbital Sciences
Launch mass 277 kg (611 lb)
Dimensions 2.7 × 2.0 m (9 × 6.5 ft)
Power 290 W
Start of mission
Launch date April 28, 2003, 12:00 (2003-04-28UTC12Z) UTC
Rocket Pegasus XL
Launch site Stargazer, Cape Canaveral
Contractor Orbital Sciences
Entered service May 28, 2003
End of mission
Disposal Decommissioned
Deactivated June 28, 2013, 19:09 (2013-06-28UTC19:10Z) UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Semi-major axis 7,065.55 km (4,390.33 mi)
Eccentricity 0.0003629
Perigee 684.85 km (425.55 mi)
Apogee 689.98 km (428.73 mi)
Inclination 28.9986°
Period 98.5167 minutes
RAAN 50.7756°
Argument of perigee 189.3734°
Mean anomaly 229.9485°
Mean motion 14.6178 rev/day
Epoch September 13, 2015 13:13:39 UTC
Revolution no. 66130
Main telescope
Type Ritchey–Chrétien
Diameter 50 cm (19.7 in)
Wavelengths 135–280 nm (Ultraviolet)
← RHESSI
AIM →

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) is an orbiting ultraviolet space telescope launched on April 28, 2003, and operated until early 2012.

An airlaunched Pegasus rocket placed the craft into a nearly circular orbit at an altitude of 697 kilometres (433 mi) and an inclination to the Earth's equator of 29 degrees.

The first observation was dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, being images in the constellation Hercules taken on May 21, 2003. This region was selected because it had been directly overhead the shuttle at the time of its last contact with the NASA Mission Control Center.

After its primary mission of 29 months, observation operations were extended to almost 9 years with NASA placing it into standby mode on 7 Feb 2012.

NASA cut off financial support for operations of GALEX in early February 2011 as it was ranked lower than other projects which were seeking a limited supply of funding. The mission's life-cycle cost to NASA was $150.6 million. The California Institute of Technology negotiated to transfer control of GALEX and its associated ground control equipment to the California Institute of Technology in keeping with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act. Under this Act, excess research equipment owned by the US government can be transferred to educational institutions and non-profit organizations. In May 2012, GALEX operations were transferred to Caltech.

A fund-raising effort called GALEX CAUSE is being run to try and complete its All-Sky UV Survey. Its unique ultraviolet observations shed new light on special studies of galaxies, black-holes, supernova, stars, and beyond.


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