Orbital IBEX - Manual (Page 2)

Orbital Sciences Corporation
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IBEX
Mission Partners
Southwest Research Institute
Principal investigator, mission management, science
instruments and operations
Orbital Sciences Corporation
Spacecraft and launch vehicle design, fabrication, test,
launch operations, and mission operations
Additional Partners
Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center
Applied Physics Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Alliant Techsystems
University of New Hampshire
Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum
Specifications
Spacecraft
Mass: <110 kg (243 lb.)
Power: <85 W
Stabilization: Sun-pointing major axis spinner
Orbit: 7,000 km perigee altitude, 50 Earth-radii apogee altitude
Mission Life: 24 months (baseline mission)
Payload
Two single pixel image sensors (IBEX-Hi and IBEX-Lo)
Combined Electronics Unit (CEU)
Launch
Launch Vehicle: Pegasus ® XL
Site: Kwajalein, Marshall Islands
Date: October 19, 2008
IBEX Mission
In its elliptical orbit around the Earth, the IBEX spacecraft is pointed towards the
sun, and spins continuously. Two narrow angle image sensors (IBEX-Hi and IBEX-
Lo) are positioned perpendicular to the spin axis. These special imagers detect
neutral atoms from the solar system’s outer edge, enabling scientists to map the
boundary between our Solar System and interstellar space.