36598 - PICARD

PICARD, a French solar physics satellite was launched on a Dnepr rocket from the Dombarovsky Missile Base near Yasny, Russia at 14:42 UT on 2010 June 15. PICARD is an investigation dedicated to the simultaneous measurement of the absolute total and spectral solar irradiance, the diameter and solar shape, and to studying the Sun's interior through helioseismology. PICARD's 11 cm imaging telescope, called SODISM, will obtain ultra-precise measurements of the Sun's diameter, shape and rotation. Two more instruments, named SOVAP and PREMOS, will measure the total solar irradiance and energy fluctuations in ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2010-06-15
Launch Vehicle: Dnepr
Launch Site: Yasni, Russia