A Broadband Imaging X-ray All-sky Survey
Encyclopedia
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 Cosmos
launch vehicle from Kapustin Yar
, Russia
, into Earth orbit. The orbit had a periapsis of 549 kilometres (341.1 mi), an apoapsis of 598 kilometres (371.6 mi), an inclination
of 48.0° and an eccentricity
of 0.00352, giving it a period of 96 minutes.
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.
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
X-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
telescope
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
. It was launched on 28 April 1999 in a Cosmos
Cosmos
In the general sense, a cosmos is an orderly or harmonious system. It originates from the Greek term κόσμος , meaning "order" or "ornament" and is antithetical to the concept of chaos. Today, the word is generally used as a synonym of the word Universe . The word cosmos originates from the same root...
launch vehicle from Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar
Kapustin Yar is a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast, between Volgograd and Astrakhan. Known today as Znamensk , it was established 13 May 1946 and in the beginning used technology, material, and scientific support from defeated Germany...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, into Earth orbit. The orbit had a periapsis of 549 kilometres (341.1 mi), an apoapsis of 598 kilometres (371.6 mi), an inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
of 48.0° and an eccentricity
Orbital eccentricity
The orbital eccentricity of an astronomical body is the amount by which its orbit deviates from a perfect circle, where 0 is perfectly circular, and 1.0 is a parabola, and no longer a closed orbit...
of 0.00352, giving it a period of 96 minutes.
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.