ABRIXAS

A Broadband Imaging X-ray All-sky Survey, or ABRIXAS was a space-based German X-ray telescope. It was launched on 28 April 1999 in a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle from Kapustin Yar, Russia, into Earth orbit. The orbit had a periapsis of 549.0 kilometres (341.1 mi), an apoapsis of 598.0 kilometres (371.6 mi), an inclination of 48.0° and an eccentricity of 0.00352, giving it a period of 96 minutes.[2][3]

ABRIXAS
ABRIXAS in orbit.
Mission typeX-ray astronomy
OperatorDLR
COSPAR ID1999-022A
SATCAT no.25721
Mission duration0 years (mission failure)
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass550.0 kilograms (1,212.5 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date28 April 1999, 20:30 (1999-04-28UTC20:30Z) UTC
RocketKosmos-3M
Launch siteKapustin Yar 107
End of mission
Last contact1 May 1999 (1999-06)
Decay date31 October 2017[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Semi-major axis6,869.9 kilometers (4,268.8 mi)
Eccentricity0.00352
Perigee altitude549 km (341 mi)
Apogee altitude598 km (372 mi)
Inclination48.0 degrees
Period96.00 minutes
Epoch28 April 1999, 04:30:00 UTC[2]
 

The telescope's battery was accidentally overcharged and destroyed three days after the mission started. When attempts to communicate with the satellite when its solar panels were illuminated by sunlight failed, the $20 million project was abandoned.[4] ABRIXAS decayed from orbit on 31 October 2017.

The eROSITA telescope is based on the design of the ABRIXAS observatory.[5] eROSITA was launched on board the Spektr-RG space observatory on 13 July 2019 from Baikonur to be deployed at the second Lagrange point (L2).[6]

References
  1. https://celestrak.com/
  2. "NASA – NSSD – Spacecraft – Trajectory Details (ABRIXAS)". NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  3. "NASA – NSSDC – Spacecraft – Details (ABRIXAS)". NASA. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
  4. "ABRIXAS". Astronautix.com. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
  5. "Spectrum-RG/eRosita/Lobster mission definition document". Russian Space Research Institute. 2005-10-30. Retrieved 2011-02-04.
  6. Zak, Anatoly (16 April 2016). "Spektr-RG to expand horizons of X-ray astronomy". Russian Space Web. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
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