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IBEX
 

How will IBEX get into space?

Rocket launch

CLICK TO PLAY MOVIE. The L-1011 aircraft is seen from the distance above the clouds. In a close-up on the aircraft, the Pegasus rocket is mated to the underbelly of the plane. The Pegasus rocket separates from the airplane, dropping away from the craft through the atmosphere. After several seconds the rocket fires propelling the rocket into a high altitude orbit. A smoky tail is left trailing behind the rocket’s path. Credit: Animation by the Adler Planetarium.

IBEX will begin its ride to space in 2008, when it launches from Kwajalein Island, Marshall Islands. An airplane called an L-1011 will take a Pegasus rocket to high altitude. Then, the Pegasus rocket will fire its own rockets to propel it, and the IBEX spacecraft, into space. The IBEX satellite will climb into an orbitThe curved path, usually elliptical, described by a planet, satellite, spaceship, etc., around a celestial body, such as the Sun. that goes 5/6 of the way to the Moon. This orbit is very high, which allows the satellite to spend much of the time out of the Earth's magnetosphere, which can interfere with its observations. Even though this orbit is high, it is still very far from the Solar System boundary that it is measuring.

Kwajalein Island

A view of Kwagalein Atoll from above. The airstrip that the IBEX mission will launch from is visible covering much of the island area. Credit: Dirk HR Spennemann, Digital Micronesia.
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Last Updated: 6 June 2014
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