TRACKER-1BETA
48.8566°N / 2.3522°E
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Official Chandra X-ray patch
Space telescopes·NASA

Chandra X-ray

ActiveLaunched in 1999·HEO — 139,000 km

An X-ray observatory that detects million-degree gas around black holes and galaxy clusters.

Main objectives
  • Observe the universe in X-rays (black holes, supernova remnants, clusters).
  • Study the most energetic phenomena in the cosmos.
  • Complement optical and radio observations of compact sources.
Did you know?

Sensitive to photons 100 times more energetic than visible light. Its Zerodur glass mirrors are polished to a millionth of an inch.

Timeline

Jul 23, 1999
Launch

STS-93 (Columbia), commanded by Eileen Collins.

Chandra X-ray
Photo of Chandra X-ray
Mission data
StatusActive
PositionHEO — 139,000 km
Launched in1999
TargetHighly elliptical Earth orbit
Budget2.6B USD

Instruments

[04]
ACIS

CCD imaging spectrometer to image and analyze X-rays

HRC

High-resolution camera for spatial and temporal X-ray detection

HETG

Transmission grating for high-energy spectroscopy (0.4–10 keV)

LETG

Transmission grating for low-energy spectroscopy (0.08–2 keV)

Specifications

Mass4,790 kg
OrbitHighly elliptical 16,000–139,000 km
Mirrors4 hyperboloid/paraboloid pairs

Discoveries

[03]

Mission milestones

[01]

Official sources

Chandra