Magellan

USA


International Sat. n°:

USA satellite n°:


Launch data:

Designation  19969 / 89033B
Launch date  04 May 1989 - 18:47 UT
Deployed from Shuttle on 05 May 1989
Launch site KSC, LC-39B
Launch vehicle  Shuttle STS-30
Mission  Venus Orbiter
Operator  
Venus orbit
Perihelion / Aphelion  
Incl. to ecliptic  °
Period   min


STS-30

STS-30 Magellan spacecraft & IUS deployment from Atlantis' payload bay (PLB) - Credit: NASA.

Spacecraft data:

Prime contractor  
Customer  
Platform  IUS
Mass at launch   kg
Dry Mass  kg
Basic shape  
Dimension  
Solar array  
Stabilization  3-axis
DC power  

Decay:

Decay date:  13 Oct 1994
Cause:  impact on Venus
Lifetime: days



A diagram of the Magellan spacecraft.


Description:

3-axis stabilised using 3 reaction wheels. A 3.7 m diameter high gain antenna was used for both telecommunications and radar. Attitude sensors include 2 cruise sun sensors, 1 star scanner, and 2 inertial reference units. Power system included a 12.5 m2 solar array (1029 W EOL) and NiCd batteries (2 x 30 AHr). Hydrazine propulsion system with 0.9N, 445 N thrusters. X-band (20 W) and S-Band (5 W) communications. Downlink rates of 268.8 or 115 kbps. Uplink rates of 31.25 and 62.5 bps. Payload: A single radar instrument operated simultaneously as a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), altimeter, and radiometer. Radar frequency 2.385 GHz, with 325 W peak power and 25 km swath width (variable). Altimeter resolution 30 m. Radiometer accuracy 2 deg C. SAR resolution 150 m (range and azimuth). An X- and S- band radio subsystem precisely tracked the spacecraft's orbit to make measurements of the gravity field.

Mission details:


Ref.: #1, #6r, #7(JR048,191,209-210,214), #8, #14, #81, #207 - update: 05.11.10 Home