Solar Maximum Mission
Solar Maximum Mission was a dedicated solar-physics observatory launched to study the Sun during the high part of its activity cycle, including solar flares and other solar activity. Its instruments produced high-energy and irradiance observations, and the spacecraft was later recovered and serviced in orbit by the Space Shuttle.
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Identity
- Aliases
- SMMSolarMaxSolar Max1980-014A
- Name
- Solar Maximum Mission
- Status
- completed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Solar Maximum Mission was a dedicated solar-physics observatory launched to study the Sun during the high part of its activity cycle, including solar flares and other solar activity. Its instruments produced high-energy and irradiance observations, and the spacecraft was later recovered and serviced in orbit by the Space Shuttle.
- Destination
- Near-circular low Earth orbit at approximately 508–512 km altitude and 28.5° inclination for coordinated observations of solar flares and solar activity across ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray wavelengths
- Outcome
- Successful solar-physics and servicing mission. After the 1984 STS-41C rescue and repair—the first in-orbit satellite-servicing mission—Solar Maximum Mission returned to full operations. NASA records 240,000 images of the Sun's corona, more than 12,000 solar flares, deep-space gamma-ray bursts, and observations of Halley's Comet; the spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere on 2 December 1989.
- Programs
- -
- Start Date
- 1980-02-14
- Vehicle Families
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 14, 2026 at 22:03:55 UTC
- Updated Time
- September 8, 2026 at 13:36:04 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles