MOST (satellite)
| Names | MOST |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Astronomy |
| Operator | CSA |
| COSPAR ID | 2003-031D |
| SATCAT no. | 27843 |
| Website | MOST home page |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 53 kg (117 lb) |
| Dimensions | 66 cm × 20 cm (26.0 in × 7.9 in) |
| Power | 35 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 14:15, June 30, 2003 |
| Rocket | Rockot/Breeze-KM |
| Launch site | Plesetsk 133/3 |
| Contractor | Eurockot |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Polar |
| Semi-major axis | 7,203 km (4,476 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.0010821 |
| Perigee | 824.7 km (512.4 mi) |
| Apogee | 840.3 km (522.1 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.7157 degrees |
| Period | 101.4 minutes |
| RAAN | 126.1054 degrees |
| Argument of perigee | 129.3968 degrees |
| Mean anomaly | 230.8168 degrees |
| Mean motion | 14.20521415 rev/day |
| Epoch | 27 April 2016, 11:16:58 UTC |
| Revolution no. | 66487 |
| Main telescope | |
| Type | Maksutov catadioptric |
| Diameter | 15 cm (5.9 in) |
| Focal length | 88.2 cm (34.7 in) |
| Wavelengths | 350-750 nm (Visible light) |
The Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars telescope, better known simply as MOST, is Canada's first space telescope. Up until nearly 10 years after its launch it was also the smallest space telescope in orbit (for which its creators nicknamed it the “Humble Space Telescope”, in reference to one of the largest, the Hubble). MOST is the first spacecraft dedicated to the study of asteroseismology, subsequently followed by the now-completed COROT and Kepler missions. It was also the first Canadian science satellite launched since ISIS II, 32 years previously.
As its name suggests, its primary mission is to monitor variations in star light, which it does by observing a single target for a long period of time (up to 60 days). Typically, larger space telescopes cannot afford to remain focused on a single target for so long due to the demand for their resources.
At 53 kg (117 pounds) 65 cm (26 in) wide and tall and 30 cm (12 in) deep, it is the size and weight of a small chest or an extra-large suitcase filled with electronics. This places it in the microsatellite category.
MOST was developed as a joint effort of the Canadian Space Agency, Dynacon Enterprises Limited (now Microsatellite Systems Canada Inc), the Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies, and the University of British Columbia. Led by Principal Investigator Jaymie Matthews, the MOST science team's plan is to use observations from MOST to use asteroseismology to help date the age of the universe, and to search for visible-light signatures from extrasolar planets.
MOST features an instrument comprising a visible-light dual-CCD camera, fed by a 15-cm aperture Maksutov telescope. One CCD gathers science images, while the other provides images used by star-tracking software that, along with a set of four reaction wheels (computer-controlled motorized flywheels that are similar to gyroscopes) maintain pointing with an error of less than 1 arc-second, better pointing by far than any other microsatellite to date.
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