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 AMPTE-CCE (Explorer 65) satellite | |
| Names | Explorer 65 AMPTE-Charge Composition Explorer |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Magnetosphere research |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1984-088A |
| SATCAT no. | 15199 |
| Mission duration | 5 years (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer LXV |
| Spacecraft type | Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers (AMPTE) |
| Bus | AMPTE-CEE |
| Launch mass | 242 kg (534 lb) |
| Power | 140 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 16 August 1984, 14:48 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Delta 3924 (Delta 175) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-17A |
| Contractor | Douglas Aircraft Company |
| Entered service | 16 August 1984 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 12 July 1989 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Highly elliptical orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 0.17 RE |
| Apogee altitude | 8.79 RE |
| Inclination | 4.8° |
| Period | 16 hours |
| Instruments | |
| CCE Magnetometer (MAG) Charge-Energy-Mass Spectrometer (CHEM) Hot Plasma Composition Experiment (HPCE) Medium Energy Particle Analyzer (MEPA) Plasma Wave Experiment (PWE) | |
Explorer program | |
AMPTE-Charge Composition Explorer, also called as AMPTE-CCE or Explorer 65, was a NASA satellite designed and tasked to study the magnetosphere of Earth, being launched as part of the Explorer program. The AMPTE (Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorers) mission was designed to study the access of solar wind ions to the magnetosphere, the convective-diffusive transport and energization of magnetospheric particles, and the interactions of plasmas in space.[3]