MOST (spacecraft)

Microvariability and Oscillations of Stars/Microvariabilité et Oscillations STellaire

Names	MOST
Mission type	Astronomy
Operator	CSA
COSPAR ID	2003-031D
SATCAT no.	27843
Website	MOST home page
Mission duration	Final: 15 years, 9 months
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	53 kg (117 lb)
Dimensions	60 cm × 60 cm × 24 cm (23.6 in × 23.6 in × 9.4 in)
Power	35 W
Start of mission
Launch date	30 June 2003, 14:15 (2003-06-30UTC14:15) UTC
Rocket	Rockot/Briz-KM
Launch site	Plesetsk 133/3
Contractor	Eurockot
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	March 2019 (2019-04)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Polar
Semi-major axis	7,203 km (4,476 mi)
Eccentricity	0.0010821
Perigee altitude	824.7 km (512.4 mi)
Apogee altitude	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[1]
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/Microvariabilité et Oscillations STellaire (MOST), was 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).^[2] MOST was 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.