BackForward Satellite: MMS-A 

Satellite details
Acronym MMS-A
Full name Magnetospheric MultiScale mission - A
WIGOS Station Identifier ---
Satellite Description
  • 1st unit of the cluster of 4 satellites traveling in the Magnetosphere at short reciprocal distance.  Satellites named after the Beatles: John, Paul, George and Ringo.
  • Main mission: Space weather, specifically in the Magnetosphere.
  • Highly elliptical orbit, perigee 7,650 km, apogee 159,300 km.
Mass at launch 1250 kg Dry mass 890 kg
Power 318 W
Data access link no link provided
Data access information
  • Data available from the Science Operations Center (SOC) of LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics), Colorado University, Boulder.
Orbit Cross-magnetosphere orbit Altitude
Inclination 28 °

 

Space agency NASA
Status Operational
Details on Status
(as available)
  • 27 April 2015: Star Tracker Head C operating in degraded state.  (Glint from deployed Boom causes hotspot on Head C on all 4 MMS s/c.
  • 30 March 2019; Star Tracker Head A non-functional.
Launch 13 Mar 2015 EOL ≥2024
Last update: 2023-12-21
Associated satellite programme and related satellites

Note: red tag: no longer operational , green tag: operational , blue tag : future

Satellite Payload

All known Instruments flying on MMS-A

Acronym Full name
EDI Electron Drift Instrument
SCM Search Coil Magnetometer
DP Double Probes
AFG Analog Fluxgate Magnetometer
FPI Fast Plasma Instrument
HPCA Hot Plasma Composition Analyzer
FEEPS Fly's Eye Energetic Particle Sensor
EIS Energetic Ion Spectrometer
DFG Digital Fluxgate Magnetometer
ASPOC Active Spacecraft Potential Control Devices
Show instrument status and calibration