National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Marshall Space Flight Center

Hinode (Solar-B)

Hinode (Solar-B)

Spacecraft

Hinode was launched from Uchinoura Space Center, Japan on 22 September 2006 at 21:36 UTC (23 September, 06:36 JST). First light images were captured on 28 October 2006.

The dry weight of the satellite is ~700 kg. It was launched with an additional 170 km of thruster gas for maintaining a polar, sun-synchronous orbit for at least two years. Two solar panels provide 1000 watts of power.

The spacecraft consists of three instruments: the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS), and the X-Ray Telescope. The Focal Plane Package is part of SOT.