NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2005-031B
Reimei, with a prelaunch name of Index, is a Japanese (ISAS) microsatellite that was launched by a Dnepr booster (which is a converted RS-20 ICBM) from Baikonur at 21:10 UT on 23 August 2005. The 70 kg experimental satellite carries components and technologies such as fiber optic gyroscope to improve attitude control, more efficient solar panels, and a manganese lithium ion battery that will be exposed to the radiation environment in space to test ruggedness. It also carries energetic ions/electrons detectors to derive the energy spectra of the particles that cause auroras. (Also launched by that Dneper into orbit was a container with a book of spiritual guidance written by the Turkmenistan's President Niyazov, to confirm that his country has "entered the Space Age".)
Launch Date: 2005-08-23
Launch Vehicle: Dnepr
Launch Site: Tyuratam (Baikonur Cosmodrome), Kazakhstan
Mass: 70 kg
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office