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Geotail

retired
Science ExplorationHEOCOSPAR 1992-044ALaunched 7/24/1992
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Mission & Launch
Launch Mission
Geotail Mission
Launch Vehicle
Delta 6925
Launch Date
7/24/1992
Last Contact
11/28/2022
Orbit & Mass
Orbit Class
HEO
Altitude
54,229 km
Inclination
22.35 deg
Dry Mass
640 kg
Total Mass
1,009 kg
Payload Classification
Mission Type
Science Exploration
Payload Category
SCI
Payload Class
C
Organizations
Operator
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Manufacturer
NEC Corporation
Registry
COSPAR ID
1992-044A
UN Registration
ST/SG/SER.E/261
Track
Mentions
3
All verified mentions of this spacecraft in source documents.
0.0-5.0
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GEOTAIL was launched jointly by Japan and the United States in 1992 and spent more than 30 years observing electromagnetic waves and plasma in Earth's magnetotail.

CapabilityGeneralValue 4.5Jan 26, 2026Mercury and Earth chorus waves show shared plasma behavior across magnetospheres

GEOTAIL's observations built a long-term reference data set on chorus generation, spatial distribution, and frequency behavior.

GeneralCapabilityValue 3.0Jan 26, 2026Mercury and Earth chorus waves show shared plasma behavior across magnetospheres

GEOTAIL's vantage point in the distant magnetotail, roughly ten Earth radii from Earth, provides conditions that resemble the compact magnetosphere of Mercury.

GeneralValue 2.0Jan 26, 2026Mercury and Earth chorus waves show shared plasma behavior across magnetospheres