# ORFEUS-SPAS I

> free-flying observatory carried on Space Shuttle mission STS-51

**Wikidata**: [Q111499233](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q111499233)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/orfeus-spas-i

## Summary
ORFEUS-SPAS I is a free-flying space observatory payload carried on Space Shuttle mission STS-51. Built in Germany and launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on 1993-09-12, it carried the ORFEUS ultraviolet spectrometer and used the Shuttle Pallet Satellite bus.

## Key Facts
- ORFEUS-SPAS I is a free-flying observatory and instance of a space telescope and payload.
- Launched on 1993-09-12 at 11:45:00 UTC aboard Space Shuttle Discovery as part of mission STS-51.
- Launch site: Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B.
- Mass: 3,500 kilogram.
- Dimensions: width 4.5 metres and length 2.5 metres.
- COSPAR ID / NSSDC ID: 1993-058C.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 22798.
- Manufacturer: DASA. Spacecraft bus: Shuttle Pallet Satellite.
- Operators: German Space Agency and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
- Carries the ORFEUS scientific instrument (Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer).
- Followed by: ORFEUS-SPAS II (carried on STS-80).
- Country of origin: Germany.
- Also known as: ORFEUS-SPAS 01, ORFEUS-SPAS 1, Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer - Shuttle Palette Satellite 1.

## FAQs
### Q: What is ORFEUS-SPAS I?
A: ORFEUS-SPAS I is a German-built free-flying observatory payload and space telescope that flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-51. It was designed to carry the ORFEUS ultraviolet spectrometer on a Shuttle-deployed Shuttle Pallet Satellite platform.

### Q: When and how was ORFEUS-SPAS I launched?
A: It was launched on 1993-09-12 at 11:45:00 UTC from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-51.

### Q: What scientific instrument did it carry?
A: ORFEUS-SPAS I carried the ORFEUS instrument, named in full Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer, for ultraviolet spectroscopy.

### Q: Who built and operated ORFEUS-SPAS I?
A: The platform was manufactured by DASA and operated by the German Space Agency in cooperation with NASA.

## Why It Matters
ORFEUS-SPAS I represents a cooperative Shuttle-era approach to deploying specialized scientific payloads for space-based observations. As a Shuttle Pallet Satellite payload carrying the ORFEUS ultraviolet spectrometer, it provided a way to place a dedicated ultraviolet instrument into space using the Shuttle as the delivery and support vehicle. The design and deployment model allowed national space agencies and instrument teams to fly focused scientific hardware without requiring a fully independent launch vehicle. Its German origin and joint operation with NASA highlight international collaboration in space science during the 1990s. The ORFEUS-SPAS series continued with a successor mission, indicating the platform's role in a multi-flight program of far and extreme ultraviolet observations.

## Notable For
- Being a free-flying observatory payload flown on Space Shuttle mission STS-51 (Discovery) on 1993-09-12.
- Carrying the ORFEUS instrument (Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer) for ultraviolet spectroscopy.
- Use of the Shuttle Pallet Satellite bus to host a dedicated scientific payload.
- German manufacture (DASA) and joint operation by the German Space Agency and NASA.
- Identified in catalogs as COSPAR 1993-058C and satellite catalog number 22798.

## Body
### Overview
- ORFEUS-SPAS I is described as a free-flying observatory carried on the Space Shuttle mission STS-51.
- It is classified as both a space telescope and a payload.

### Mission and Launch
- Launch date and time: 1993-09-12 at 11:45:00 (UTC).
- Launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-51.
- Launch site: Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B.
- Significant event recorded: rocket launch from KSC LC-39B on 1993-09-12 as part of STS-51.

### Design and Specifications
- Mass: 3,500 kg.
- Dimensions: width 4.5 m; length 2.5 m.
- Spacecraft bus: Shuttle Pallet Satellite.
- Manufacturer: DASA.
- Country of origin: Germany.

### Operations and Hardware
- Operators: German Space Agency and NASA.
- Carries the ORFEUS scientific instrument (Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer).
- Followed by a subsequent mission/platform named ORFEUS-SPAS II (carried on STS-80).

### Identifiers and Catalog Entries
- COSPAR ID / NSSDC ID: 1993-058C.
- Satellite Catalog Number (SCN): 22798.
- Wolfram Language entity code: Entity["Satellite", "22798"].
- Image reference: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/STS-51_ORFEUS_SPAS_capture.jpg
- Further description: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/faculties/faculty-of-science/departments/physics/institutes/astronomy-astrophysics/astronomy-hea/research/closed-projects/orfeus/orfeus-i/
- Additional technical listing: https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orfeus-spas.htm
- NSSDC detailed entry: https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1993-058C

### Names and Aliases
- Common aliases: ORFEUS-SPAS 01; ORFEUS-SPAS 1; Orbiting & Retrievable Far & Extreme UV Spectrometer - Shuttle Palette Satellite 1.

### Program Context
- Part of the ORFEUS-SPAS series of Shuttle-deployed observatory payloads.
- Explicitly followed by ORFEUS-SPAS II in the program sequence.

## References

1. [Source](https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/orfeus-spas.htm)
2. [Source](https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1993-058C)
3. Jonathan's Space Report