RHESSI MISSION FACTS

Mission ClassSmall Explorer (SMEX)
LaunchFebruary 5th, 2002, 3:58 PM EDT
Launch VehicleOrbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) Pegasus XL
OrbitCircular, 600 km (373 miles), 38 degree inclination
Weight293 kg (645 lb)
Dimensions Height: 2.16 m (85 in) Width: 5.76 m (227 in) after solar panel deployment, 1.1 m (43.3 in) before solar panel deployment
Power414 W
Onboard Memory
4 Gbytes
DownlinkUp to 11 Gbits/day (3.5 Mbits/second) 
Ground StationsPrimary: University of California, Berkeley
Backups:
      Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia
      Santiago, Chile
      Weilheim, Germany
Spacecraft PointingSpin stabilized at 15 rpm, Sun-center pointing to 0.2 degrees.
Aspect SystemSolar Aspect System (SAS) determines direction to Sun-center within 1.5 arcseconds, Roll Angle System (RAS) determines roll angle within 3 arcminutes
Detectors9 segmented, hyperpure germanium crystals, cooled to ~75 K (-198 degrees Celsius)
Energy Range3 keV to 17 MeV
Spectral Resolution          1 keV up to 100 keV
3 keV up to 1 MeV
5 keV up to 17 MeV
Field of ViewFull Sun (1 degree)
Angular Resolution2 arcseconds up to 100 keV
7 arcseconds up to 400 keV
36 arcseconds above 1 MeV
Temporal resolutionTens of milliseconds for basic image, 2 seconds (half a rotation) for a detailed image
Imaging Technique

Fourier-transform imaging via 9 rotating modulation collimators (grid pairs)