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Ariel-5

Overview

Ariel 5 carried six experiment payloads, including research into X-rays and photons. It discovered V616 Monocerotis, the nearest known black hole to planet Earth, and provided mankind with proof of their existence

RAL Space involvement

Project management, operations, ground-system hardware and software for planning, data processing

Launch Date

October 1980

Mission End

March 1980

Focus

Solar and space physics

Partners

British Aircraft Corp, NASA, University of Birmingham, UCL, University of Leicester, Imperial College

Ariel 5 Credit: Nasa

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