WMO OSCAR | Satellite: ACE

Satellite: ACE

Satellite details

Acronym	ACE
Full name	Advanced Composition Explorer
WIGOS Station Identifier	---
Satellite Description	Single flight unit of the ACE programme. Main missions; solar physics and Space weather.
Mass at launch	785 kg	Dry mass	596 kg
Power	443 W
Data access link	http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ASC/
Data access information	Data available from the Space Radiation Laboratory of Caltech, Pasadena, CA.
Orbit	Lagrange libration point 1	Altitude	1.5e+06 km

Space agency	NASA
Status	Operational
Details on Status (as available)	Multiple ADC converters are failing. Back-up to DSCOVR since 27 July 2016.
Launch	25 Aug 1997	EOL	≥2027
Last update:	2024-01-22

Associated satellite programme and related satellites

Note: red tag: no longer operational , green tag: operational , blue tag : future

Satellite Payload

All known Instruments flying on ACE

Acronym	Full name
SWIMS	Solar Wind Ion Mass Spectrometer
SWICS	Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer
ULEIS	Ultra-Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer
SEPICA	Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer
SWEPAM	Solar Wind Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor
MAG	Magnetic Field Monitor
SIS	Solar Isotope Spectrometer
CRIS	Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer
EPAM	Electron, Proton, and Alpha-particle Monitor

Satellite payload

All known instruments flying on ACE

Instrument	Full name	Start date	EOL date	Status	NRT data	Data latency (mins)	Comments
SWIMS	Solar Wind Ion Mass Spectrometer	Nov 1997	≥2027 *	Active
SWICS	Solar Wind Ion Composition Spectrometer	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Active
ULEIS	Ultra-Low Energy Isotope Spectrometer	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Active
SEPICA	Solar Energetic Particle Ionic Charge Analyzer	Nov 1997 *	04 Feb 2005	Inactive			SEPICA failed on 4 February 2005
SWEPAM	Solar Wind Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Degraded Has been degraded	Yes	6	No NSWE data 19 Dec 2017. Proton density and temperature, became increasingly sparse starting in 2010 as the primary channel electron multiplier (CEM) detectors have aged. A new pointing strategy has helped to minimise the loss of data.
MAG	Magnetic Field Monitor	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Active	Yes	6
SIS	Solar Isotope Spectrometer	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Degraded Has been degraded	Yes	6	A few noisy detectors.
CRIS	Cosmic Ray Isotope Spectrometer	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Active
EPAM	Electron, Proton, and Alpha-particle Monitor	Nov 1997 *	≥2027 *	Active Has been degraded	Yes	6	Noisy sensor head.

* The information in this field is estimated or assumed