Science
Hisaki
Catalogued as HISAKI (SPRINT-A)
Planetary Atmosphere Observatory · JAXA
Right now
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Japan's Hisaki is the first space telescope dedicated to observing the atmospheres of other planets in extreme ultraviolet. From its orbit 590 miles above Earth, it can stare continuously at Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io — watching how Io's sulfur volcanoes inject material into Jupiter's magnetic field. It has also observed the atmospheres of Venus, Mars, and Saturn, monitoring how solar wind strips away planetary atmospheres over time.
Its orbit
- Orbit
- Low Earth Orbitcan appear as a fast-moving star at dawn or dusk
- Altitude
- 597–723 mi (961–1,164 km)
- Inclination
- 29.7°
- One orbit
- 106.3 minutes13.5 orbits a day
- NORAD ID
- 39253
- Int’l designator
- 2013-049A
- Launched
- 2013
Orbital elements from CelesTrak, as of 22 Sep 2026.