ESA = European Space Agency

ESA's astronomy satellite Hipparchos

In-detail observation of celestial bodies ESA's astronomy satellite, Hipparchos, was launched in June 1989 aboard Ariane rocket. The acronym stands for HIgh-Precision PARallax COllecting Satellite, it is named after Greek astronomer "Hipparchus". From its orbit beyond the interference of Earth's atmosphere, the satellite is designed for precise sky-mapping of the entire sidereal sphere, measurement of fixed star luminosity and angular momentum, and investigation of the proper motion of stars making up the Milky Way.

1,000 gigabytes of observational data over an approximate 3-year period The original launch plan for Hipparchos called for a geo-stationary orbit. However, a booster engine failure resulted in the satellite achieving an elliptical geo-orbit instead. Exhaustive efforts by ground controllers enabled Hipparchos to carry out its mission of fixed-star observation, relaying some 1,000 gigabytes of observational data over an approximate three-year period until failure of the satellite's solar panel in June 1993. Due to the effect of Hipparchos not being able to achieve its originally intended geo-stationary orbit, however, observation data collected by the satellite was extremely complex, requiring a great deal of time and cost in analysis. Nevertheless, a portion of this analyzed data became available for use in August 1997. Furthermore, this highly precise data compared to that available in the past is anticipated to have a major impact on the fields of positional astronomy and astrophysics.

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