Objectives and Applications
SAMPEX (also known as Explorer 68) is NASA's first SMEX mission with the objectives to measure energetic electrons as well as ion composition of particle populations from about 0.4 MeV/nucleon to hundreds of MeV/ nucleon from a zenith-oriented satellite in near polar orbit; to study the energy, composition, and charge states of particles from supernova explosions, from the heart of solar flares, and from the depths of nearby interstellar space; also to monitor the magnetospheric particle population
Full Name
Solar Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer
Mission Status
Mission complete
Mission Agencies
Launch Date
03 Jul 1992
Mission Links
EOL Date
13 Nov 2012
Orbit Type
Inclined, non-sun-synchronous
Orbit Period
96.7 minutes
Orbit Sense
Orbit Inclination
82 deg
Orbit Altitude
595 km
Orbit Longitude
NORAD Catalog #
International Designator