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- EQUATOR-S is a low-cost mission designed to study the Earth's equatorial magnetosphere out to distances of 67000 km and it forms an element of the closely-coordinated fleet of satellites that comprise the IASTP program (http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/sci_operations/www-sites.html) . It is based on a simple spacecraft design and carries a science payload consisting of advanced instruments that were developed for other IASTP missions. Unique features of EQUATOR-S are its nearly equatorial orbit and its high spin rate. It was launched as an auxiliary payload on an Ariane-4 on December 2nd, 1997. The mission is intended for a two-year lifetime. The idea of an equatorial satellite dates back to NASA's GGS (Global Geospace Science) program originally conceived in 1980. When the equatorial element of the program was abandoned in 1986 and several subsequent attempts to rescue the mission had failed, the Max-Planck-Institut f?r extraterrestrische Physik (MPE) decided in 1991 to fill this gap in the GGS (and in the international IASTP) program because of its interest in the global magnetospheric science, and because it provided an opportunity for a test of an advanced instrument, EDI, to measure electric fields with dual electron beams. The realization of EQUATOR-S was possible through a grant from the German Space Agency DARA (meanwhile part of DLR), that was approved in late 1994, but also through MPE-internal funds and personnel. For more information, see: http://www.mpe-garching.mpg.de/EQS/eq-s-spacecraft.html Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: EQUATOR-S Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Solar/Space Observation Satellites Short_Name: EQUATOR-S End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: EQUATOR-S End_Group Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments Short_Name: MAGNETOMETERS End_Group Creation_Date: 2008-01-14 Online_Resource: http://www.mpe-garching.mpg.de/EQS/ Sample_Image: http://www.mpe-garching.mpg.de/EQS/PIFICONS/eqs-spacecraft.gif End_Group
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