MICROSCOPE
Satellite for testing the principle of equivalence (2016–18) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about the satellite. For the instrument, see Microscope. For other uses, see Microscope (disambiguation).
The Micro-Satellite à traînée Compensée pour l'Observation du Principe d'Equivalence (Micro-Satellite with Compensated Drag for Observing the Principle of Equivalence, MICROSCOPE) is a 300-kilogram (660 lb) class minisatellite operated by CNES to test the universality of free fall (the equivalence principle) with a precision to the order of 10−15,[6] 100 times more precise than can be achieved on Earth. It was launched on 25 April 2016 alongside Sentinel-1B and other small satellites, and was decommissioned around 18 October 2018 after completion of its science objectives.[4] The final report was published in 2022.[7]
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
Mission type | Physics | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operator | CNES | ||||||||
COSPAR ID | 2016-025B | ||||||||
SATCAT no. | 41457 | ||||||||
Website | https://microscope.cnes.fr/en/ | ||||||||
Mission duration | Planned: 2 years Final: 2 years, 5 months, 22 days | ||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||
Bus | Myriade[1] | ||||||||
Manufacturer | CNES · Airbus | ||||||||
Launch mass | 330 kg (728 lb)[1] | ||||||||
Dimensions | 138 × 104 × 158 cm (54 × 41 × 62 in)[1] | ||||||||
Power | 140 watts[1] | ||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||
Launch date | 25 April 2016, 21:02:13 (2016-04-25UTC21:02:13) UTC[2] | ||||||||
Rocket | Soyuz ST-A (VS-14)[3] | ||||||||
Launch site | Guiana Space Centre ELS[3] | ||||||||
Contractor | Arianespace | ||||||||
Entered service | 2 May 2016[2] | ||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||
Disposal | Decommissioned | ||||||||
Deactivated | c. 18 October 2018 (2018-10-19)[4] | ||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric | ||||||||
Regime | Low Earth | ||||||||
Semi-major axis | 7,090.9 km (4,406.1 mi) | ||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.000167 | ||||||||
Perigee altitude | 711.6 km (442.2 mi) | ||||||||
Apogee altitude | 713.9 km (443.6 mi) | ||||||||
Inclination | 98.23° | ||||||||
Period | 99.03 minutes | ||||||||
Epoch | 5 December 2016, 21:17:20 UTC[5] | ||||||||
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