List of space telescopes
Name Space Agency Launch Date Terminated Location
Proton-1 USSR 16 Jul 1965 11 Oct 1965 Earth orbit ( 589-183 km )
Proton-2 USSR 2 Nov 1965 6 Feb 1966 Earth orbit ( 637-191 km )
3rd High Energy Astrophysics Observatory ( HEAO 3 ) NASA 20 Sep 1979 29 May 1981 Earth orbit ( 486.4-504.9 km )
SAMPEX NASA / DE 3 Jul 1992 30 Jun 2004 Earth orbit ( 512-687 km )
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 01 ( AMS-01 ) NASA 2 Jun 1998 12 Jun 1998 Earth orbit ( 296 km )
Payload for Antimatter Matter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics ( PAMELA ) ISA , INFN , RSA , DLR & SNSB 15 May 2006 7 Feb 2016 Earth orbit ( 350-610 km )
IBEX NASA 19 Oct 2008 - Earth orbit ( 86,000-259,000 km )
Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 02 ( AMS-02 ) NASA 16 May 2011 - Earth orbit ( 353 km ) on ISS
Dark Matter Particle Explorer ( DAMPE ) CNSA & CAS 17 Dec 2015 - Earth orbit ( 500 km )
Particle detection
This list of space telescopes (astronomical space observatories) is grouped by major frequency ranges: gamma ray, x-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, microwave and radio. Telescopes that work in multiple frequency bands are included in all of the appropriate sections. Space telescopes that collect particles, such as cosmic ray nuclei and/or electrons, as well as instruments that aim to detect gravitational waves, are also listed. Missions with specific targets within the Solar System (e.g. our Sun and its planets), are excluded; see List of Solar System probes for these, and List of Earth observation satellites for missions targeting our planet. Two values are provided for the dimensions of the initial orbit. For telescopes in Earth orbit, the min and max altitude are given in kilometers. For telescopes in solar orbit, the minimum distance (periapsis) and the maximum distance (apoapsis) between the telescope and the center of mass of the sun are given in astronomical units (AU).