Kyokko

Launch data: Designation 10664 / 78014A Launch date 04 Feb 1978 - 16:00 (JST) Launch site Kagoshima Space Center Launch vehicle Mu-3H (#2) Mission Scientific: ionosphere study Elliptical Earth orbit on: Perigee / Apogee  630 x 3970 km Eccentricity   Inclination  65.4 deg Period  134 min

Credit: JAXA

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor   Platform   Operator   Mass at launch  126 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape  Cylinder Dimension (m)  dia= 0.946m height= 0.8m Equipment  2 booms of 4.8m long Solar array   Stabilization   Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime

Credit: JAXA

Scientific Instruments:

• Aurora Imager (ATV)
• Plasma wave and electron temperature measurement instrument
• Energy spectrum analyzer for low-energy electrons

Decay:

Mission details:

• Objectives: 1. Observation of density, temperature, and composition of space plasma; research into energy spectrum of auroral electrons; and ultraviolet imaging of aurorae
• 2. Participation in the International Magnetospheric Study (IMS)
• Operation: All the observational instruments onboard KYOKKO were operable and the observation started on February 24. Since it would be inefficient for Kagoshima Space Center (currently Uchinoura Space Center) alone to retrieve data in relation to its locations relative to the satellite orbit, other data-receiving telemetry stations were founded at the Showa Station in Antarctic and the Churchill Research Base in Canada.
• Results: Aurora image data where obtained in the ultraviolet region (1300A) by the Aurora Imager (ATV), a world first. The observation discovered that a disturbance of plasma occurs in the sky when the aurora emerges, emitting strong electromagnetic waves.