Reimei ('Dawn') is the in-flight name for a small Japanese satellite known during development as INDEX (INnovative-technology Demonstration Experiment), developed in-house at

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into orb ...

both to serve as a demonstration of small-satellite technologies (particularly high-performance and high-accuracy

attitude control Attitude control is the process of controlling the orientation of an aerospace vehicle with respect to an inertial frame of reference or another entity such as the celestial sphere, certain fields, and nearby objects, etc. Controlling vehicle ...

) and to perform simultaneous optical and charged-particle observation of the

aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. A notable feature is the 25 μm-thick

polyimide Polyimide (sometimes abbreviated PI) is a polymer containing imide groups belonging to the class of high-performance plastics. With their high heat-resistance, polyimides enjoy diverse applications in roles demanding rugged organic materials, e.g ...

mirrors used for concentrating sunlight onto the

solar arrays A photovoltaic system, also PV system or solar power system, is an electric power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics. It consists of an arrangement of several components, including solar panels to absorb and c ...

. It is and weighs 72 kilograms. The construction budget was $4 million. The satellite was launched into a near- sun-synchronous 630 km orbit on 24 August 2005 as a

piggyback Piggyback, piggy-back, or piggybacking may mean: Transport * Piggyback (transportation), something that is riding on the back of something else Art, entertainment, and media * Splash cymbal piggybacking, mounting a cymbal on top of an already ...

on the

OICETS The Optical Inter-orbit Communications Engineering Test Satellite (OICETS), also called ''Kirari'', was an experimental satellite launched by JAXA to demonstrate interorbital communication between satellites through optical (laser) means. OICETS ...

launch on the

Dnepr Dnepr may refer to: *Dnieper, a river flowing through Russia, Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea * Dnepr (motorcycle), a Ukraininan motocycle brand * Dnepr (rocket), a 1999 space launch vehicle *Dnepr radar Dnepr may refer to: *Dnieper, a river ...

launch vehicle.

References

{{Japanese space program Satellites of Japan Spacecraft launched by Dnepr rockets Spacecraft launched in 2005