# High Energy Transient Explorer 2 HETE 2

> NASA artificial satellite

**Wikidata**: [Q46540136](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q46540136)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HETE_2)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/high-energy-transient-explorer-2-hete-2

## Summary
High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE 2) is a NASA artificial satellite and a component of the High Energy Transient Explorer space observatory. It was launched on 2000-10-09 aboard a Pegasus air-launched rocket and is catalogued under COSPAR ID 2000-061A and satellite catalog number 26561.

## Key Facts
- Instance: artificial satellite (NASA artificial satellite).
- Part of: High Energy Transient Explorer (space observatory).
- Launch date: 2000-10-09.
- Launch vehicle: Pegasus (air-launched rocket; Pegasus inception: 1987).
- COSPAR ID: 2000-061A.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 26561.
- NSSDCA ID: 2000-061A.
- Alias: HETE-2.
- Wikimedia Commons image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/HETE_2.jpg.
- Reference entries: Encyclopædia Britannica online topic ID "High-Energy-Transient-Explorer-2" and Encyclopedia of China (third edition) ID 506203.

## FAQs
### Q: What is High Energy Transient Explorer 2 (HETE 2)?
A: HETE 2 is a NASA artificial satellite that forms part of the High Energy Transient Explorer space observatory. It is identified in catalogs as COSPAR 2000-061A and SCN 26561.

### Q: When and how was HETE 2 launched?
A: HETE 2 was launched on 2000-10-09. The launch vehicle was Pegasus, an air-launched rocket.

### Q: Under what identifiers can HETE 2 be found in satellite catalogs?
A: HETE 2 is catalogued as COSPAR ID 2000-061A and Satellite Catalog Number 26561, and has NSSDCA ID 2000-061A.

## Why It Matters
HETE 2 matters as a documented NASA artificial satellite that is part of the High Energy Transient Explorer program, a space observatory class. Its successful placement into orbit on 2000-10-09 via a Pegasus air-launched rocket added a platform to the suite of space-based observatories maintained and referenced by scientific and archival resources. The spacecraft is recognized across major cataloging systems (COSPAR, NSSDCA, satellite catalog number) and indexed in reference works such as Encyclopædia Britannica and the Encyclopedia of China. These formal identifiers and reference entries facilitate tracking, archival research, cross-referencing in scientific literature, and public access to information about the mission. As an element of a named space observatory program, HETE 2 occupies a clear place in the organizational and bibliographic record of space science assets, making it a stable point of reference for cataloging, historical records, and derivative research that relies on accurate satellite identification.

## Notable For
- Being a NASA artificial satellite explicitly catalogued as COSPAR 2000-061A and SCN 26561.
- Forming part of the High Energy Transient Explorer space observatory program.
- Launching on 2000-10-09 by a Pegasus air-launched rocket.
- Presence in major reference resources, including an Encyclopædia Britannica online entry and an Encyclopedia of China ID.
- Publicly available imagery on Wikimedia Commons (HETE_2.jpg).

## Body

### Overview
- Name: High Energy Transient Explorer 2.
- Common alias: HETE-2.
- Description (Wikidata): NASA artificial satellite.
- Parent program/class: High Energy Transient Explorer (space observatory).

### Launch
- Launch date: 2000-10-09.
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch with point in time 2000-10-09.
- Launch vehicle: Pegasus (air-launched rocket; Pegasus inception recorded as 1987 in related data).

### Identifiers and Catalog Entries
- COSPAR ID: 2000-061A.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 26561.
- NSSDCA ID: 2000-061A.
- Wolfram Language Entity Code: Entity["Satellite", "26561"].
- Encyclopædia Britannica online ID: topic/High-Energy-Transient-Explorer-2 (entry attributed as High Energy Transient Explorer-2, author/credit: Erik Gregersen).
- Encyclopedia of China (third edition) ID: 506203.

### Documentation and Public Records
- Wikimedia Commons image available: HETE_2.jpg (link above).
- Wikipedia title: HETE 2.
- Wikipedia language editions noted: English (en), Galician (gl), Igbo (ig), Ukrainian (uk).
- Sitelink count (Wikidata-based): 4.

### Classification and Relationships
- Instance of: artificial satellite.
- Part of: High Energy Transient Explorer (space observatory class).
- Related class: Pegasus (launch vehicle class; described as air-launched rocket).

### References (as recorded in source data)
- Launch and event references flagged to Q6272367 and other structured data references.
- Catalog and identification references include Q192582 and Q328 as provided in the structured dataset.

(End of entry)

## References

1. Jonathan's Space Report