Space & Earth Science
NORAD ID: 37755
Int'l Code: 2011-037A
Perigee: 33,557.9 km
Apogee: 302,204.5 km
Inclination: 72.4 °
Period: 12,065.0 minutes
Semi major axis: 174252 km
Launch date: July 18, 2011
Source: Commonwealth of Independent States (former USSR) (CIS)
Comments: SPEKTR-R is long-delayed radio telescope Monday to help astronomers see deeper into supermassive black holes, obtain views of collapsed stars and better measure the influence of dark energy on the cosmos. The craft's flight path will naturally shift due to the influence of the moon's gravity over the course of the five-year mission. It will take Spektr-R up to nine days to go around the Earth in its egg-shaped orbit. Spektr-R will next extend two solar arrays and unfurl its flower-like dish receiver antenna to a diameter of 10 meters, or almost 33 feet. It is comprised of 27 carbon fiber petals that take up to two hours to fully deploy. The Spektr-R satellite is one element of an international network of observatories in a project called RadioAstron. When linked with ground-based telescopes across the globe, Spektr-R will facilitate unprecedented views into black holes that form the centers of galaxies.
Two Line Element Set (TLE):
1 37755U 11037A 13127.40000000 -.00000930 00000-0 00000+0 0 440
2 37755 072.3850 291.1720 7708555 002.7430 358.5000 00.11935360 783
Source: AFSPC
NASA's NSSDC Master Catalog entry for SPEKTR R
