MMS 1 (John)

Spacecraft nº:

US spacecraft nº:

Launch data: Designation  40482 / 15011A Launch date  13 Mar 2015 - 02:44 UT Launch site  CC, SLC-41 Launch vehicle  Atlas V-421 (AV-053) Mission  Magnetospheric Research Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  1085 x 70124 km Eccentricity   Inclination  28.9 ° Period  1426.8 min

Spacecraft data:

Technicians work on MMS, mated quartet of stacked observatories in the cleanroom at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, on May 12, 2014. Credit: Ken Kremer- kenkremer.com

MMS in the clean room being processed for a March 12, 2015 launch. Credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Description:

• MMS (Magnetospheric Multiscale) is a Solar-Terrestrial Probe mission comprising four identically instrumented spin-stabilized spacecraft to discover the fundamental physics of magnetic reconnection using Earth′s magnetosphere as a laboratory. The MMS spacecraft are being developed at NASA′s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) in Greenbelt, Maryland. GSFC is also responsible for the overall management of the MMS mission and mission operations.
• MMS measurements should lead to significant improvements in models for yielding better predictions of space weather and thereby the resulting impacts for life here on Earth as well as for humans aboard the ISS and robotic satellite explorers in orbit and the heavens beyond.

Mission details:

• NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission was launched on Mar 13, 2015. The mission consists of four identical spacecraft, each with a mass of 1000 kg plus 400 kg of propellant. The spacecraft will fly in a tetrahedral formation some tens of kilometres apart to disentangle spatial and temporal fluctuations in the magnetospheric particle and field environment. They will deploy wire booms with a span of 112 metres to measure electric fields.

External links:

• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking