Taylor M Potter

Robotic missionExplorer 1Mission destination

Satellite: Explorer 1
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Science instruments: Cosmic-ray detector, micrometeorite detector, temperature sensors, and satellite-drag experiment

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Uncrewed radiation and micrometeoroid satellite launch attemptExplorer 2Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 2
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Scientific payload: 18.5-pound cosmic-ray and micrometeoroid satellite

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Uncrewed radiation and micrometeoroid research satelliteExplorer 3Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 3
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Scientific payload: Cosmic-ray and micrometeorite satellite with an onboard tape recorder

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Uncrewed radiation research satelliteExplorer 4Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 4
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Scientific payload: 25.8-pound radiation satellite with Geiger-Mueller and scintillation counters

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Uncrewed radiation satellite launch attemptExplorer 5Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 5
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Scientific payload: Duplicate of the Explorer 4 radiation satellite

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Uncrewed atmospheric-density and radar-target satellite launch attemptBeacon 1Mission destination

Spacecraft: Beacon 1
Launch vehicle: Juno I
Scientific payload: 9.26-pound balloon designed to inflate to 12 feet in diameter

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Uncrewed Earth-science satellite launch attemptExplorer S-1Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer S-1
Launch vehicle: Juno II
Scientific payload: 91.5-pound multiple-experiment Earth-science satellite

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Uncrewed magnetospheric, solar, and Earth-imaging satelliteExplorer 6Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 6
Launch vehicle: Thor-Able III
Scientific payload: Paddlewheel Earth and space-science satellite with a scanning imager

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Uncrewed atmospheric-density and radar-target satellite launch attemptBeacon 2Mission destination

Spacecraft: Beacon 2
Launch vehicle: Juno II
Scientific payload: Duplicate 12-foot inflatable radar and atmospheric-density sphere

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Uncrewed Earth-radiation and space-environment satelliteExplorer 7Mission destination

Spacecraft: Explorer 7
Launch vehicle: Juno II
Scientific payload: 91.5-pound multiple-experiment Earth and space-science satellite

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-1Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-1 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Thor-Delta C
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-2Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-2 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta C
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-3Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-3 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta C
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryAIMP-1Highly elliptical Earth orbit after a planned lunar mission overshot

Spacecraft: AIMP-1 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta E-1
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-4Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-4 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta E-1
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryAIMP-2Lunar orbit

Spacecraft: AIMP-2 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta E-1
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-5Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-5 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta E-1
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-6Highly elliptical Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-6 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta M-6
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-7Distant near-circular Earth orbit

Spacecraft: IMP-7 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta 1604
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed interplanetary and magnetospheric observatoryIMP-8Twelve-day orbit reaching about 35 Earth radii

Spacecraft: IMP-8 spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta 1604
Science payload: Solar-wind plasma, magnetic-field, energetic-particle, cosmic-ray, radio-wave, radiation, and selected gamma-ray experiments

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Uncrewed orbital astronomy observatoryCOBESun-synchronous polar low Earth orbit

Observatory: COBE observatory
Launch vehicle: Delta 5920
Science payload: Differential Microwave Radiometers, Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer, and Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment

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Uncrewed orbital astronomy observatoryExtreme Ultraviolet ExplorerLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer observatory
Launch vehicle: Delta II 6920
Science payload: Three grazing-incidence scanning telescopes and a deep-survey telescope with extreme-ultraviolet spectrometers

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Uncrewed high-energy astronomy observatoryRossi X-ray Timing ExplorerLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer observatory
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7920-10
Science payload: Proportional Counter Array, High Energy X-ray Timing Experiment, and All-Sky Monitor spanning roughly 2 to 250 kiloelectronvolts

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Uncrewed heliophysics and geospace observatoryAdvanced Composition ExplorerLissajous orbit around Sun-Earth L1

Spacecraft: Advanced Composition Explorer spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7920-8
Science payload: Nine instruments measuring solar-wind ions, electrons, energetic particles, isotopes, cosmic rays, and the interplanetary magnetic field

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Uncrewed solar and heliophysics observatoryTransition Region and Coronal ExplorerSun-synchronous low Earth orbit

Spacecraft: Transition Region and Coronal Explorer spacecraft
Launch vehicle: Pegasus XL
Science payload: 30-centimeter ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet imaging telescope with a 1024-by-1024 detector

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Uncrewed orbital astronomy observatoryFar Ultraviolet Spectroscopic ExplorerLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer observatory
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7320
Science payload: Four coaligned grazing-incidence telescopes feeding four Rowland-circle spectrographs from about 90 to 120 nanometers

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Uncrewed orbital astronomy observatoryGalaxy Evolution ExplorerLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Galaxy Evolution Explorer observatory
Launch vehicle: Pegasus XL
Science payload: 50-centimeter wide-field ultraviolet telescope with far- and near-ultraviolet photon-counting detectors and slitless spectroscopy

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Uncrewed high-energy astronomy observatoryNeil Gehrels Swift ObservatoryLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory observatory
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7320-10C
Science payload: Burst Alert Telescope, X-Ray Telescope, and Ultraviolet/Optical Telescope operating as an autonomous rapid-response system

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Uncrewed geospace and heliophysics observatoryTHEMIS-ARTEMISThree magnetospheric Earth orbits and two lunar orbits

Spacecraft: THEMIS-ARTEMIS spacecraft constellation
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7925-10C
Science payload: Five identically instrumented probes with electric-field instruments, fluxgate and search-coil magnetometers, electrostatic analyzers, and solid-state particle telescopes

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Uncrewed geospace and heliophysics observatoryAeronomy of Ice in the MesosphereSun-synchronous low Earth orbit

Spacecraft: Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere spacecraft constellation
Launch vehicle: Pegasus XL
Science payload: Cloud Imaging and Particle Size experiment, Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment, and Cosmic Dust Experiment

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Uncrewed geospace and heliophysics observatoryInterstellar Boundary ExplorerHighly elliptical Earth orbit extending beyond the magnetosphere

Spacecraft: Interstellar Boundary Explorer spacecraft constellation
Launch vehicle: Pegasus XL
Science payload: IBEX-Lo and IBEX-Hi energetic-neutral-atom cameras

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Robotic missionWISE/NEOWISESun-synchronous low Earth orbit

Observatory: WISE/NEOWISE space telescope
Launch vehicle: Delta II 7320-10C
Infrared payload: Forty-centimeter cryogenic telescope with four infrared detector arrays; two shorter-wavelength channels continued operating during NEOWISE

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Uncrewed high-energy astronomy observatoryNuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ArrayLow Earth orbit

Observatory: Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array observatory
Launch vehicle: Pegasus XL
Science payload: Twin focusing hard-X-ray telescopes separated from their detectors by a deployable 10-meter mast

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Uncrewed orbital astronomy observatoryTransiting Exoplanet Survey SatelliteHighly elliptical 13.7-day lunar-resonant Earth orbit

Observatory: Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite observatory
Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 4
Science payload: Four wide-field visible-light cameras covering a 24-by-96-degree sector of sky

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Robotic missionIXPELow Earth equatorial orbit

Observatory: IXPE observatory
Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5
Science payload: Three co-aligned grazing-incidence mirror modules, three polarization-sensitive gas pixel detectors, and a deployable 13-foot optical bench

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Robotic missionSPHEREx404-mile (650-kilometer) sun-synchronous terminator orbit

Observatory: SPHEREx observatory
Launch vehicle: Falcon 9 Block 5
Science payload: Passively cooled 7.9-inch aluminum telescope and six-detector spectral imager surveying 102 optical and near-infrared wavelengths

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Twin polar-cusp magnetic-reconnection satellitesTRACERSMission destination

Analyzer for Cusp Ions: Measures the energy and arrival direction of ions entering the polar cusp
Electron Analyzer: Characterizes electron populations associated with reconnection
Electric Field Instrument: Measures local electric fields and plasma-wave behavior

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AstronautAtlas

Explorer program

Explorer program science and payloads

Explorer program

Explorer program science and payloads