Hinotori

It was launched successfully on February 21, 1981 using a M-3S rocket as the vehicle from Uchinoura Space Center (known at the time as Kagoshima). After the start of normal operation, it observed a large solar flare and, a month later, succeeded in observing 41 flares of many sizes from the Sun. It reentered the atmosphere on July 11, 1991. The name Hinotori is the Japanese word for Phoenix.

• Name — Hinotori • Names List — Astro-A • Mission Type — Astronomy • Operator — ISAS • Cospar Id — 1981-017A • Satcat — 12307 • Bol Mass — 185 kg • Launch Date — 21 February 1981, 00:30:00 UTC • Launch Rocket — Mu-3S • Launch Site — Mu Pad, Kagoshima • Launch Contractor — ISAS • Decay Date — 11 July 1991 • Orbit Reference — Geocentric • Orbit Regime — Low Earth • Orbit Eccentricity — 0.00395 • Orbit Periapsis — 548 km • Orbit Apoapsis — 603 km • Orbit Inclination — 31.3 degrees • Orbit Period — 96.2 minutes • Orbit Epoch — 21 February 1981, 04:30:00 UTC • Apsis — gee • Programme — ASTRO program • Next Mission — Tenma (ASTRO-B)

• Solar flare X-ray imager (SXT) • Solar soft X-ray bright line spectrum analyzer (SOX) • Solar soft X-ray monitor (HXM) • Solar flare monitor (FLM) • Solar gamma ray monitor (SGR) • Particle ray monitor (PXM) • Plasma electron density measurement instrument (IMP) • Plasma electron temperature measurement instrument (TEL)

• Observational data of the maximum period of solar activity • Discovery of high-temperature phenomena reaching up to 50 million °C and clouds of light-speed electrons floating in the corona of the Sun