Under contract to the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), Orbital designed, built, tested and launched the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) satellite for NASA to explore the origin and evolution of galaxies, stars and heavy elements using an onboard ultraviolet telescope. Orbital's responsibilities include:
Providing the spacecraft platform;
Integrating and testing the GALEX instrument;
Building and qualifying the satellite ground control system; and
Providing launch vehicle and mission operations support
The GALEX spacecraft was successfully launched on April 28, 2003 aboard a Pegasus XL rocket in a mission originating from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Performance:
Orbit: 690 km/29.0° Inclination
Launch Mass: 281 kg
Solar Arrays: 675 W EOL, single deployed fixed array
Stabilization: 3-axis, zero momentum, stellar tarbet pointing
Planned Mission life: 28 months
Status:
Operational. Was named "Best of What's News" for 2003 by Popular Science Magazine. GALEX has been operating for over 5 years, well beyond its nominal 29 month mission life.
Customer: California Institute of Technology
Mission: NASA Small Explorer (SMEX) program
galactic astronomy
Quick Facts NASA's Small Explorers (SMEX) program, which manages GALEX, provides
frequent flight opportunities for scientific investigation from space
GALEX is performing the first ultraviolet all-sky survey covering approximately
1 million galaxies
GALEX is performing the first ultraviolet wide area spectroscopic surveys
covering approximately 100,000 galaxies
