GCN Circular 839

Monday, 9 October 2000

The HETE-2 launch at 0538 UTC on 9 October 2000 on a Pegasus launcher 
staged from Kwajalein Atoll appears to have been fully successful. 
The orbit is excellent: 590km x 650km, with an inclination of 1.95 
degrees.  During the first three orbits, the satellite was detumbled 
and despun as it was gradually powered up. The solar panels were 
deployed during the third orbit. The spacecraft successfully achieved 
its targeted anti-sun pointing configuration during the fourth orbit. 
Satellite telemetry is being successfully received and commands are 
being reliably issued at both the Kwajalein and Singapore ground 
stations. Testing with the Cayenne ground station will take place 
later in the week. Activation and complete testing of the spacecraft 
systems, as well as the network of Burst Alert Stations (BAS), will 
continue over the coming days.

Ongoing updates and further details will be provided by the HETE-2 
Mission Operations Team at the official website:

http://space.mit.edu/HETE/

George Ricker, MIT Center for Space Research
Principal Investigator for the HETE-2 Mission