Tansei 3

Launch data: Designation 09841 / 77012A Launch date 19 Feb 1977 - 14:15 (JST) Launch site Kagoshima Space Center Launch vehicle Mu 3H (#1) Mission technology Elliptical Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  790 x 3810 km Eccentricity   Inclination  66 deg Period  134 min

Spacecraft data: Prime contractor   Platform   Operator   Mass at launch  129 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape  Octagonal cylinder Dimension (m)  dia: 0.931m, high: 0.8m Equipment   Solar array   Stabilization   Propulsion   DC power   Design lifetime

Scientific Instruments:

• 1. Infrared horizontal line detector
• 2. Digital sun sensor
• 3. Geomagnetic attitude meter
• 4. Cold gas jet instrument
• 5. Nutation damper
• 6. Torquing magnet
• 7. Ultraviolet monitor

Decay:

Mission details:

• Objectives: Performance test of M-3H rocket, and demonstration of new technologies, such as magnetic-field-aligned, attitude-stabilization method and spin-axis control by cold gas jet, required for the next and subsequent scientific satellites.
• Operation: The plan was to conduct a cold-gas jet experiment in the first week and a magnetic field-aligned stabilization experiment in the second week. A shut-off valve malfunction, however, caused the cancellation of the gas-jet experiment, and instead, the magnetic field-aligned attitude stabilization experiment was conducted.
• Due to operations performed from the 32nd though 39th revolutions, the maximum angle of the satellite-reference axis to the geomagnetic field line went from 6° to 18° during the 41st revolution. Thus, the magnetic field-aligned attitude stabilization system was demonstrated to function properly.