Trace

Transitional Region and Coronal Explorer, also called SMEX 4

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General

Designation	25280 / 98020A
Launch date	2 Apr 1998
Country of origin	United States
Operator	NASA
Mission	Scientific: sun observation
Perigee/Apogee	602/652 km sun-synchronous
Inclination	97.8°
Period	97 min
Launch vehicle	Pegasus XL
Launch site	Vandenberg
Mass at launch	224 kg

Launch worth $12 million

The TRACE satellite, designed by an international team of 13 scientists from America, Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands, will explore the connections between fine-scale magnetic fields and the associated plasma structures of the Sun. Will be built at the Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory.

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External resources

http://sunland.gsfc.nasa.gov/smex/trace/

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

Prime contractor	LM
Platform
Mass at launch	213 kg
Mass in orbit
Dimension	0.86 m octogonal prism
Solar array	4 panels, total: 2 m²
Stabilization	3-axis
DC power	220 W
Design lifetime	1 year

Telemetry: 2215 MHz (realtime: 23.4375 kpbs, playback: 1.125 or 2.25 Mbps) (5 W transmitter)
Command: 2039.65 MHz (2 kbps)
Date: 2275.3 MHz ?

Field of view: 8.5 x 8.5 arcminute
Telescope: 30 cm diameter x 160 cm length, 8.66 m focal length Cassegrain

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