Sakigake

Sakigake (Japaneseさきがけ, dt " Harbinger ") was a Japanese space probe, which was launched in 1985 for the exploration of Halley's Comet.

Mission

Sakigake, called before starting MS -T5 was the first spacecraft of Japan. 140 kg spacecraft was equipped with three instruments, a magnetometer and two devices for the measurement of plasma waves and the solar wind. You should explore the comet Halley.

Course

• Sakigake launched on 8 January 1985, an MU -3 rocket from Japanese space center in Kagoshima.
• The highest approach to Halley took place on 11 March 1986. The distance was 7 million kilometers. Thus, the probe could be used only for remote sensing of the comet. Whether the probe as far away was due to a navigational error of Halley, or whether this was intentional, is not known. Sakigake supported with their data, the European spacecraft Giotto in navigation.
• 1987 commands were transmitted to the probe, which they brought on course to earth.
• On 8 January 1992, 14 July 1993 and on 3 July 1995 Sakigake full each led a gravity -assist maneuver on the ground. The probe was here for flybys of the comets Honda Mrkos - Pajdusakova (planned for 3 February 1996) and Giacobini - Zinner (scheduled for 29 November 1998) is deflected.
• Shortly after the final gravity -assist maneuvers, however, the exhaustion of fuel supplies, it was stated and planned comet flybys accounted for.
• Contact with Sakigake was lost on 15 November 1995.

Results

Despite some flaws was Japan's first spacecraft mission a success. Sakigake was almost 11 years active, significantly more than the 77 seconds of the first U.S. probe Pioneer 0 or 92 seconds of the first Soviet probe Luna 1958 A ( cf. Lunik mission ). After all, even some scientific data could be obtained from value in interplanetary space, in the vicinity of Halley and in the near-Earth space.