Spektr-R
Spektr-R[2] (or Radioastron) is a Russian orbital radio telescope, and currently the largest space telescope in orbit.[3] It is funded by the Russian Astro Space Center, and was launched into Earth orbit on 18 July 2011,[4] with a perigee of 10,000 kilometers (6,200 mi) and an apogee of 390,000 kilometers (240,000 mi), about 700 times of the orbital height of the Hubble Space Telescope.[5][6] The main scientific goal of the mission is the study of astronomical objects with an angular resolution up to a few millionths of an arcsecond. This is accomplished by using the satellite in conjunction with ground-based observatories and interferometry techniques.[4]
Spektr-R is one of the instruments in the RadioAstron program, an international network of observatories led by the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute.[5]
The telescope is intended for radio-astrophysical observations of extragalactic objects with ultra-high resolution, as well as researching of characteristics of near-Earth and interplanetary plasma. The very high angular resolving power will be achieved when used in conjunction with a ground-based system of radio-telescopes and interferometrical methods, operating at wavelengths of 1.35–6.0, 18.0 and 92.0 cm.[7] With its Earth-based companions, it will form a network able to provide detailed images of the universe at 1,000 times the resolution attainable using the Hubble Space Telescope.[8] Once in space, the flower-like main dish will open its 27 'petals' within 30 minutes.[8]
At launch the mass of the spacecraft was about 5,000 kilograms (11,000 lb). It was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 18, 2011 at 6.31 a.m. MSK by a Zenit-3M launcher with Fregat-SB upper stage.[9]
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- hibernating after mission: SWAS (1998-2005)
- TRACE (1998-2010)
- WISE (2009-2011)
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Manned flights are indicated in bold text. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).
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