Hakucho

Space observatory

Hakuchō
Spacecraft properties


Mission type	X Ray Celestial Observation
Operator	Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan)
COSPAR ID	1979-014A
SATCAT no.	11272


Launch mass	96.0 kilograms (211.6 lb)
Dimensions	⌀760mm×650mm


Start of mission
Launch date	21 February 1979 UTC
Rocket	M-3C-Rocket (mission 4)
Launch site	Uchinoura Space Center, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan


End of mission
Decay date	April 15, 1985

Hakucho (also known as CORSA-b before launch; CORSA stands for Cosmic Radiation Satellite) was Japan's first X-ray astronomy satellite, developed by the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science (then a division of the University of Tokyo). It was launched from the Kagoshima Space Center by the ISAS M-3C rocket on the M-3C-4 mission on February 21, 1979 ^[1] and reentered the atmosphere on April 15, 1985.^[2]

Hakucho was a replacement for the Cosmic Radiation Satellite (CORSA) satellite which failed to launch due to rocket failure on February 4, 1976.^[3]

Highlights

Discovery of soft X-ray transient Cen X-4 and Aql X-1
Discovery of many burst sources
Long-term monitoring of X-ray pulsar (e.g. Vela X-1)
Discovery of 2 Hz variability in the Rapid Burster later named Quasi Period Oscillation.

References

^ "Hakucho", JAKA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science
^ "CelesTrak: Search Satellite Catalog". celestrak.com. Retrieved Nov 28, 2020.
^ "Corsa A, B (Hakucho)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved Nov 28, 2020.

isas.jaxa.jp
heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov

Space telescopes

Operating

Radio and Microwave	NCLE (since 2018) Solar Orbiter (since 2020) STEREO (since 2006) Queqiao (since 2018) Wind (since 1994) Queqiao 2 (since 2024)
Infrared	James Webb (since 2022) Odin (since 2001) SOLAR (since 2008) WISE (since 2009)
Optical	Aoi (since 2018) Astrosat (since 2015) BRITE constellation (since 2013) CHASE (since 2021) CHEOPS (since 2019) DSCOVR (since 2015) Euclid (since 2023) Hayabusa2 (since 2021) Gaia (since 2013) HiRISE (since 2005) Hubble (since 1990) Hinode (Solar-B) (since 2006) NEOSSat (since 2013) Odin (since 2001) SDO (since 2010) SOHO (since 1995) SOLAR (since 2008) Swift (since 2004) TESS (since 2018)
Ultraviolet	Aditya-L1 (since 2023) ASO-S (since 2022) Astrosat (since 2015) Hibari (since 2021) Hinode (Solar-B) (since 2006) IRIS (since 2013) SDO (since 2010) SOHO (since 1995) SOLAR (since 2008) Solar Orbiter (since 2020) STEREO (since 2006) Swift (since 2004)
X-ray and Gamma-ray	AGILE (since 2007) CALET (since 2015) Chandra (AXAF) (since 1999) DAMPE (since 2015) Einstein Probe (since 2024) HXMT (Insight) (since 2017) INTEGRAL (since 2002) Fermi (since 2008) GECAM (since 2020) IXPE (since 2021) Spektr-RG (since 2019) Swift (since 2004) Max Valier Sat (since 2017) MAXI (since 2009) MinXSS-2 (since 2018) NICER (since 2017) NuSTAR (since 2012) LEIA (since 2022) XRISM (since 2023) XPoSat (since 2024) XMM-Newton (since 1999)
Other (particle or unclassified)	ACE (since 1997) AMS-02 (since 2011) CALET (since 2015) DAMPE (since 2015) IBEX (since 2008) ISS-CREAM (since 2017) Mini-EUSO (since 2019) SOHO (since 1995) Solar Orbiter (since 2020) STEREO (since 2006)

Planned

ILO-X (2024)
K-EUSO (2024)
PETREL (2024)
SVOM (2024)
Xuntian (2024)
SPHEREx (2025)
Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (2026)
PLATO (2026)
COSI (2027)
LORD (2027)
JASMINE (2028)
NEO Surveyor (2028)
Solar-C EUVST (2028)
ARIEL (2029)
Spektr-UV (2030)
UVEX (2030)
Spektr-M (2030+)
LiteBIRD (2032)
Athena (2035)
LISA (2035)

Proposed

Retired

Akari (Astro-F) (2006–2011)
ALEXIS (1993–2005)
Alouette 1 (1962–1972)
Ariel 1 (1962, 1964)
Ariel 2 (1964)
Ariel 3 (1967–1969)
Ariel 4 (1971–1972)
Ariel 5 (1974–1980)
Ariel 6 (1979–1982)
ASTERIA (2017–2019)
ATM (1973–1974)
ASCA (Astro-D) (1993–2000)
Astro-1 (1990)
- BBXRT
- HUT
Astro-2 (HUT) (1995)
Astron (1983–1991)
ANS (1974–1976)
BeppoSAX (1996–2003)
CHIPSat (2003–2008)
Compton (CGRO) (1991–2000)
CoRoT (2006–2013)
Cos-B (1975–1982)
COBE (1989–1993)
CXBN-2 (2017–2019)
DXS (1993)
EPOCh (2008)
EPOXI (2010)
Explorer 11 (1961)
EXOSAT (1983–1986)
EUVE (1992–2001)
FUSE (1999–2007)
Kvant-1 (1987–2001)
GALEX (2003–2013)
Gamma (1990–1992)
Ginga (Astro-C) (1987–1991)
Granat (1989–1998)
Hakucho (CORSA-b) (1979–1985)
HALCA (MUSES-B) (1997–2005)
HEAO-1 (1977–1979)
Herschel (2009–2013)
Hinotori (Astro-A) (1981–1991)
Hisaki (SPRINT-A) (2013–2023)
HEAO-2 (Einstein Obs.) (1978–1982)
HEAO-3 (1979–1981)
HETE-2 (2000–2008)
Hipparcos (1989–1993)
IUE (1978–1996)
IRAS (1983)
IRTS (1995–1996)
ISO (1996–1998)
IXAE (1996–2004)
Kepler (2009–2018)
Kristall (1990–2001)
LEGRI (1997–2002)
LISA Pathfinder (2015–2017)
MinXSS (2015–2017)
MOST (2003–2019)
MSX (1996–1997)
Mikhailo Lomonosov (failed on-orbit)
OAO-2 (1968–1973)
OAO-3 (Copernicus) (1972–1981)
Orbiting Solar Observatory
- OSO 1
- OSO B
- OSO 3
- OSO 4
- OSO 5
- OSO 6
- OSO 7
- OSO 8
Orion 1 (1971)
Orion 2 (1973)
PAMELA (2006–2016)
PicSat (2018)
Planck (2009–2013)
RELIKT-1 (1983–1984)
R/HESSI (2002–2018)
ROSAT (1990–1999)
RXTE (1995–2012)
SAMPEX (1992–2004)
SAS-B (1972–1973)
SAS-C (1975–1979)
Solwind (1979–1985)
Spektr-R (2011–2019)
Spitzer (2003–2020)
Suzaku (Astro-EII) (2005–2015)
Taiyo (SRATS) (1975–1980)
Tenma (Astro-B) (1983–1985)
Uhuru (1970–1973)
Vanguard 3 (1959)
WMAP (2001–2010)
Yokoh (Solar-A) (1991–2001)

Hibernating
(Mission completed)

SWAS (1998–2005)
TRACE (1998–2010)

Lost/Failed

OAO-1 (1966)
OAO-B (1970)
CORSA (1976)
CXBN (2012–2013)
OSO C (1965)
ABRIXAS (1999)
HETE-1 (1996)
WIRE (1999)
Astro-E (2000)
Tsubame (2014–2015)
Hitomi (Astro-H) (2016)

Cancelled

Aelita
AOSO
Astro-G
Constellation-X
Darwin
Destiny
EChO
Eddington
FAME
FINESSE
GEMS
HOP
IXO
JDEM
LOFT
OSO J
OSO K
Sentinel
SIM & SIMlite
SNAP
SPICA
SPOrt
TAUVEX
TPF
XEUS
XIPE

Category:Space telescopes

Japanese space program

Italics indicates projects in development.
Symbol ^† indicates failed projects.
~~Strikethrough lines~~ indicate cancelled projects.

Space agencies

National space agencies	JAXA former ISAS NAL NASDA NICT JSS
Joint development partners	NASA¹ ESA² ASI³ CSA⁴ Roscosmos⁵ AEB⁶ INPE⁷ ISRO⁸

Astronomical observation

Past	Akari ASCA ASTRO-E^† ~~Astro-G~~ CORSA^† Ginga Hakucho HALCA Hinotori Hitomi^† ~~SPICA~~ Suzaku Tenma Yohkoh
Active	Hinode Hisaki XRISM¹
Future	ATHENA² SOLAR-C¹ GREX-PLUS [ja] HiZ-GUNDAM [ja] LAPYUTA LiteBIRD Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope¹ Nano-JASMINE Small-JASMINE

Communications satellites, broadcasting satellites and satellite navigation systems

Past	BS 2X 3H 3N Kakehashi Kirari Kizuna Kodama MBSat N-STAR a b Sakura (1 2a 2b 3a 3b) Yuri 1 2a 2b 3a 3b
Active	Kirameki 1 2 Michibiki 1 2 3 4 1R MTSAT N-STAR c d JDRS
Future	DSN 3 QZS 5 6 7

Earth observation

Past	Akebono Daichi 1 3^† Denpa Fuyo-1 Jikiken Kyokko Midori I II Momo 1 1b Ohozora Taiyo TRMM¹ Ume 1 b Geotail¹
Active	Aqua^1,7 Arase ASNARO 1 2 Daichi-2 GPM¹ Himawari Ibuki original 2 Shikisai Shizuku
Future	ALOS-4 EarthCARE² GOSAT-GW PMM

Engineering tests

Past	Ayame 1 2 DASH EXPRESS IKAROS Jindai Kiku 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LDREX 1 2 LRE Micro LabSat-1 Myojo Ohsumi Orizuru RAISE 2 3^† ~~PETSAT~~ RAPIS-1 Ryusei SERVIS-1 SERVIS-2 SDS-1 SFU Shinsei ~~SmartSat-1~~ Tansei 1 2 3 4 Tasuki Tsubame Tsubasa USERS
Active	Ajisai Reimei SDS-4
Future	BEAK ETS-IX G-SATELLITE SERVIS-3

Human spaceflight

Past	~~Fuji crewed spacecraft~~ ~~HOPE-X~~ H-II Transfer Vehicle
Active	International Space Station (ISS) & Japanese Experiment Module (Kibō)^1,2,3,4,5,6
Future	HTV-X Japanese Space Station Module (Mitsui) Lunar Gateway^1,2,4

Space probes

The Moon

Past	Hakuto-R Mission 1^† Hiten ~~Lunar-A~~ Kaguya (SELENE) OMOTENASHI^† ~~SELENE-2~~
Active	EQUULEUS Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)
Future	Hakuto-R Mission 2 HERACLES^2,4 Lunar Cruiser Lunar Polar Exploration Mission⁸ (LUPEX) Yaoki

Others

Past	Hayabusa ~~Hayabusa Mk2~~ Nozomi^† PROCYON^† Sakigake Shin'en^† Suisei
Active	Akatsuki BepiColombo (MMO/Mio)² Hayabusa2 Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer²
Future	Comet Interceptor² DESTINY+ Dragonfly¹ Hera² MELOS Martian Moons eXploration Next Generation Small-Body Sample Return TEREX

Reconnaissance satellites

Past	IGS-Optical 1 2 Experimentally 3 IGS-Radar 1 2
Active	IGS-Optical 3 4 5 6 Experimentally 5 IGS-Radar 3 4 Spare 5 6
Future	IGS-Optical 7 8 IGS-Radar 7 8

Private small satellites

Past	CosMoz CUTE 1.7+APD Fuji 1 2 Hayato HIBARI HIT-SAT Kagayaki Kanta-kun (WEOS) Kūkai Maido-1 Negai☆″ Niwaka RAIKO Waseda-SAT2 WE WISH
Active	CUTE 1 1.7+APDII Fuji-3 Hitomi Hodoyoshi 1 2 3 4 Horyu 2 Kiseki PROITERES Raijin Raijin-2 SEEDS SOCRATES XI IV V
Future	DRUMS KITSUNE OPUSAT-II QSAT-EOS RSP-01 SOMESAT SpaceTuna1 SPROUT TSUBAME WNI satellite

v t e ← 1978 Orbital launches in 1979 1980 →
Kosmos 1070 Kosmos 1071 Kosmos 1072 Molniya-3 No.23 Meteor-Priroda No.2-3 Kosmos 1073 SCATHA Kosmos 1074 Ayame 1 Kosmos 1075 Kosmos 1076 Kosmos 1077 Zenit-2M No.131 AEM-2 Hakucho Ekran No.16L Kosmos 1078 Solwind Soyuz 32 Kosmos 1079 Interkosmos 19 Meteor-2 No.4 Progress 5 Kosmos 1080 Kosmos 1081 Kosmos 1082 Kosmos 1083 Kosmos 1084 Kosmos 1085 Kosmos 1086 Kosmos 1087 Kosmos 1088 OPS 3854 OPS 6675 Kosmos 1089 Kosmos 1090 Kosmos 1091 Soyuz 33 Kosmos 1092 Molniya-1-43 Kosmos 1093 Kosmos 1094 Kosmos 1095 Gran' No.15L Kosmos 1096 Kosmos 1097 OPS 6292 Progress 6 Kosmos 1098 Kosmos 1099 Kosmos 1100 Kosmos 1101 Kosmos 1102 OPS 7164 Kosmos 1103 Kosmos 1104 Ariel 6 Molniya-3 No.21 Soyuz 34 OPS 5390 Bhaskara 1 Kosmos 1105 OPS 7484 Kosmos 1106 Kosmos 1107 Kosmos 1108 NOAA-6 Kosmos 1109 Progress 7 (KRT-10) Kosmos 1110 Kosmos 1111 Gorizont No.12L Kosmos 1112 Kosmos 1113 Kosmos 1114 Kosmos 1115 Kosmos 1116 Kosmos 1117 Kosmos 1118 Unnamed Molniya-1-44 Kosmos 1119 Westar 3 RTP Kosmos 1120 Kosmos 1121 Kosmos 1122 Kosmos 1123 Kosmos 1124 Kosmos 1125 Kosmos 1126 Kosmos 1127 Kosmos 1128 HEAO-3 Kosmos 1129 Kosmos 1130 Kosmos 1131 Kosmos 1132 Kosmos 1133 Kosmos 1134 Kosmos 1135 Kosmos 1136 Kosmos 1137 Kosmos 1138 OPS 1948 Ekran No.17L Kosmos 1139 Kosmos 1140 Unnamed Kosmos 1141 Molniya-1-45 Kosmos 1142 Kosmos 1143 Magsat Meteor-2 No.7 Interkosmos 20 Kosmos 1144 OPS 9443 OPS 9444 Kosmos 1145 Kosmos 1146 Satcom 3 Kosmos 1147 Soyuz T-1 CAT-1 Gorizont No.13L Kosmos 1148
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( \| ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).

← 1978

Orbital launches in 1979

1980 →

Kosmos 1070
Kosmos 1071
Kosmos 1072
Molniya-3 No.23
Meteor-Priroda No.2-3
Kosmos 1073
SCATHA
Kosmos 1074
Ayame 1
Kosmos 1075
Kosmos 1076
Kosmos 1077
Zenit-2M No.131
AEM-2
Hakucho
Ekran No.16L
Kosmos 1078
Solwind
Soyuz 32
Kosmos 1079
Interkosmos 19
Meteor-2 No.4
Progress 5
Kosmos 1080
Kosmos 1081
Kosmos 1082
Kosmos 1083
Kosmos 1084
Kosmos 1085
Kosmos 1086
Kosmos 1087
Kosmos 1088
OPS 3854
OPS 6675
Kosmos 1089
Kosmos 1090
Kosmos 1091
Soyuz 33
Kosmos 1092
Molniya-1-43
Kosmos 1093
Kosmos 1094
Kosmos 1095
Gran' No.15L
Kosmos 1096
Kosmos 1097
OPS 6292
Progress 6
Kosmos 1098
Kosmos 1099
Kosmos 1100
Kosmos 1101
Kosmos 1102
OPS 7164
Kosmos 1103
Kosmos 1104
Ariel 6
Molniya-3 No.21
Soyuz 34
OPS 5390
Bhaskara 1
Kosmos 1105
OPS 7484
Kosmos 1106
Kosmos 1107
Kosmos 1108
NOAA-6
Kosmos 1109
Progress 7 (KRT-10)
Kosmos 1110
Kosmos 1111
Gorizont No.12L
Kosmos 1112
Kosmos 1113
Kosmos 1114
Kosmos 1115
Kosmos 1116
Kosmos 1117
Kosmos 1118
Unnamed
Molniya-1-44
Kosmos 1119
Westar 3
RTP
Kosmos 1120
Kosmos 1121
Kosmos 1122
Kosmos 1123
Kosmos 1124
Kosmos 1125
Kosmos 1126
Kosmos 1127
Kosmos 1128
HEAO-3
Kosmos 1129
Kosmos 1130
Kosmos 1131
Kosmos 1132
Kosmos 1133
Kosmos 1134
Kosmos 1135
Kosmos 1136
Kosmos 1137
Kosmos 1138
OPS 1948
Ekran No.17L
Kosmos 1139
Kosmos 1140
Unnamed
Kosmos 1141
Molniya-1-45
Kosmos 1142
Kosmos 1143
Magsat
Meteor-2 No.7
Interkosmos 20
Kosmos 1144
OPS 9443
OPS 9444
Kosmos 1145
Kosmos 1146
Satcom 3
Kosmos 1147
Soyuz T-1
CAT-1
Gorizont No.13L
Kosmos 1148

Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).