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Mission record

Helios 2

Also known as Helios-B

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Partial success

Helios 2 was the second spacecraft launched to investigate solar processes as part of a cooperative project between the Federal Republic of Germany and the United States. Like its twin, the spacecraft was put into heliocentric orbit.

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Titan IIIE-Centaur
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, Launch Complex 41
Countries
Germany, United States
Mission types
Heliophysics, Orbiter

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Orbit insertion

    Entered its heliocentric science orbit after launch

    Derived day-level anchor: NASA gives the launch date and states that Helios 2 was put into heliocentric orbit. No more precise orbit-entry instant is asserted.

    Sun

  2. Launch

    Helios 2 launched

    Earth

  3. Loss of contact

    Downlink transmitter failed

    NASA history reports no further usable data after this failure.

    Sun

  4. Mission end

    Spacecraft shut down

    Ground controllers shut down the spacecraft to prevent radio interference; separate from loss of usable downlink.

    Sun

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Helios 2 · Spacecraft

    Destinations: Sun

Trajectory record

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: January 15, 1976 to March 9, 1980

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

  • Helios 2: Estimated · January 15, 1976 to March 9, 1980

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through October 12, 2026