List of space telescopes
X-ray
Table:
Photo

Name

Space Agency

Launch Date

Terminated

Location

Ref(s)

Uhuru
NASA
12 Dec 1970
Mar 1973
Earth orbit (531–572 km)
[32][33][34]

Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS)
SRON
30 Aug 1974
Jun 1976
Earth orbit (266–1176 km)
[35][36]

Ariel V
SRC & NASA
15 Oct 1974
14 Mar 1980
Earth orbit (520 km)
[37][38]

Aryabhata
ISRO
19 Apr 1975
23 Apr 1975
Earth orbit (563–619 km)
[39]

Third Small Astronomy Satellite (SAS-C)
NASA
7 May 1975
Apr 1979
Earth orbit (509–516 km)
[40][41][42]

Cos-B
ESA
9 Aug 1975
25 Apr 1982
Earth orbit (339.6–99,876 km)
[6][7][8]

Cosmic Radiation Satellite (CORSA)
ISAS
6 Feb 1976
6 Feb 1976
Failed launch
[43][44]

1st High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO 1)
NASA
12 Aug 1977
9 Jan 1979
Earth orbit (445 km)
[45][46][47]

Einstein Observatory (HEAO 2)
NASA
13 Nov 1978
26 Apr 1981
Earth orbit (465–476 km)
[48][49]

Hakucho (CORSA-b)
ISAS
21 Feb 1979
16 Apr 1985
Earth orbit (421–433 km)
[50][51][52]

3rd High Energy Astronomy Observatory (HEAO 3)
NASA
20 Sep 1979
29 May 1981
Earth orbit (486.4–504.9 km)
[9][10][11]

Tenma (Astro-B)
ISAS
20 Feb 1983
19 Jan 1989
Earth orbit (489–503 km)
[53][54][55]

Astron
IKI
23 Mar 1983
Jun 1989
Earth orbit (2,000–200,000 km)
[56][57][58]

EXOSAT
ESA
26 May 1983
8 Apr 1986
Earth orbit (347–191,709 km)
[59][60][61]

Ginga (Astro-C)
ISAS
5 Feb 1987
1 Nov 1991
Earth orbit (517–708 km)
[62][63][64]

Granat
CNRS & IKI
1 Dec 1989
25 May 1999
Earth orbit (2,000–200,000 km)
[12][13][14]

ROSAT
NASA & DLR
1 Jun 1990
12 Feb 1999
Re-entry 23 October 2011.[65]
Formerly Earth orbit (580 km)
[66][67][68]

Broad Band X-ray Telescope / Astro 1
NASA
2 Dec 1990
11 Dec 1990
Earth orbit (500 km)
[69][70]

Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics (ASCA, Astro-D)
ISAS & NASA
20 Feb 1993
2 Mar 2001
Earth orbit (523.6–615.3 km)
[71][72]

Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors (Alexis)
LANL
25 Apr 1993
2005
Earth orbit (749–844 km)
[73][74][75]

Based on the accompanying table and the relevant paragraphs listed below.

Provide an answer to this question: How long was the original mission for the telescope launched in June 1990 supposed to be ? Output only the correct answer as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Avoid adding external knowledge.

Uhuru was the first satellite launched specifically for the purpose of X-ray astronomy . It was also known as the X-ray Explorer Satellite , SAS-A ( for Small Astronomy Satellite A , being first of the three-spacecraft SAS series ) , SAS 1 , or Explorer 42 . The observatory was launched on December 12 , 1970 into an initial orbit of about 560 km apogee , 520 km perigee , 3 degrees inclination , with a period of 96 minutes . The mission ended in March 1973 . Uhuru was a scanning mission , with a spin period of ~12 minutes . It performed the first comprehensive survey of the entire sky for X-ray sources , with a sensitivity of about 0.001 times the intensity of the Crab nebula .
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA , /ˈnæsə/ ) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program , as well as aeronautics and aerospace research . [ note 1 ] NASA was established in 1958 , succeeding the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics ( NACA ) . The new agency was to have a distinctly civilian orientation , encouraging peaceful applications in space science . Since its establishment , most US space exploration efforts have been led by NASA , including the Apollo Moon landing missions , the Skylab space station , and later the Space Shuttle . NASA is supporting the International Space Station and is overseeing the development of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle , the Space Launch System and Commercial Crew vehicles . The agency is also responsible for the Launch Services Program which provides oversight of launch operations and countdown management for uncrewed NASA launches . NASA science is focused on better understanding Earth through the Earth Observing System ; advancing heliophysics through the efforts of the Science Mission Directorate 's Heliophysics Research Program ; exploring bodies throughout the Solar System with advanced robotic spacecraft missions such as New Horizons ; and researching astrophysics topics , such as the Big Bang , through the Great Observatories and associated programs .
The Astronomical Netherlands Satellite ( ANS ; also known as Astronomische Nederlandse Satelliet ) was a space-based X-ray and ultraviolet telescope . It was launched into Earth orbit on 30 August 1974 at 14:07:39 UTC in a Scout rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base , United States . The mission ran for 20 months until June 1976 , and was jointly funded by the Netherlands Institute for Space Research ( NIVR ) and NASA . ANS was the first Dutch satellite , and the Main Belt asteroid 9996 ANS was named after it . The telescope had an initial orbit of with a periapsis of 266 kilometres ( 165 mi ) , an apoapsis of 1,176 kilometres ( 731 mi ) , with inclination 98.0° and eccentricity 0.064048 , giving it a period of 99.2 minutes . The orbit was sun-synchronous , and the attitude of the spacecraft could be controlled through reaction wheels . The momentum stored in the reaction wheels throughout the orbit was regularly dumped via magnetic coils that interacted with the Earth 's magnetic field . The satellite also had two masses that were released shortly after orbit injection , to remove most of the satellite 's angular momentum induced by the launcher . The attitude could be measured by a variety of techniques , including solar sensors , horizon sensors , star sensors and a magnetometer . ANS could measure X-ray photons in the energy range 2 to 30 keV , with a 60 cm2 detector , and was used to find the positions of galactic and extragalactic X-ray sources . It also measured their spectra , and looked at their variations over time . It discovered X-ray bursts , and also detected X-rays from Capella .
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research is the Dutch expertise institute for space research . The Institute develops and uses innovative technology for research in space , focusing on astrophysical research , Earth science and planetary research . SRON has a line of research into new and more sensitive sensors for X-rays and infrared radiation . SRON was founded in 1983 under the former names Stichting Ruimteonderzoek Nederland / Space Research Organisation Netherlands . SRON is part of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research ( NWO ) and has facilities in Utrecht and in Groningen .
Ariel 5 was a joint British and American space telescope dedicated to observing the sky in the X-ray band . It was launched on 15 October 1974 from the San Marco platform in the Indian Ocean and operated until 1980 . It was the penultimate satellite to be launched as part of the Ariel programme . It was designed to fit a resource budget of 2 kg , 1 bit per second , and 1 W. The All-sky monitor ( ASM ) was two one-dimensional pinhole cameras scanned most of the sky every spacecraft revolution . The angular resolution was 10 × 10° , with an effective area of 3 cm2 ( 0.465 sq in ) , and a bandpass of 3-6 keV . The SSI had an angular resolution of 0.75 × 10.6° , with an effective area of 290 cm2 ( 45 sq in ) , and a bandpass of 2-20 keV .
The Science and Engineering Research Council ( SERC ) and its predecessor the Science Research Council ( SRC ) were the UK agencies in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities , including astronomy , biotechnology and biological sciences , space research and particle physics , between 1965 and 1994 . The SERC also had oversight of
Aryabhata was India 's first satellite , named after the famous Indian astronomer of the same name . It was launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar , a Russian rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle . It was built by the ISRO .
The Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO , /ˈɪsroʊ/ ) ( Hindi ; IAST : bhārtīya antrikṣ anusandhān saṅgṭhan ) is the space agency of the Government of India and has its headquarters in the city of Bengaluru . Its vision is to harness space technology for national development while pursuing space science research & planetary exploration . The Indian National Committee for Space Research ( INCOSPAR ) was established in the tenure of Jawaharlal Nehru under the Department of Atomic Energy ( DAE ) in 1962 , with the urging of scientist Vikram Sarabhai recognizing the need in space research . INCOSPAR grew and became ISRO in 1969 , also under the DAE . In 1972 , Government of India had setup a Space Commission and the Department of Space ( DOS ) , bringing ISRO under the DOS . The establishment of ISRO thus institutionalized space research activities in India . It is managed by the DOS , which reports to the prime minister of India . ISRO built India 's first satellite , Aryabhata , which was launched by the Soviet Union on 19 April 1975 . It was named after the mathematician Aryabhata . In 1980 , Rohini became the first satellite to be placed in orbit by an Indian-made launch vehicle , SLV-3 . ISRO subsequently developed two other rockets : the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ( PSLV ) for launching satellites into polar orbits and the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle ( GSLV ) for placing satellites into geostationary orbits . These rockets have launched numerous communications satellites and Earth observation satellites .
The Small Astronomy Satellite 3 ( SAS 3 , also known as SAS-C before launch ) was a NASA X-ray astronomy space telescope . It functioned from May 7 , 1975 to April 1979 . It covered the X-ray range with four experiments on board . The satellite , built by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory ( APL ) , was proposed and operated by MIT 's Center for Space Research ( CSR ) . It was launched on a Scout vehicle from the Italian San Marco launch platform near Mombasa , Kenya , into a low-Earth , nearly equatorial orbit . It was also known as Explorer 53 , as part of NASA 's Explorer program . The spacecraft was 3-axis stabilized with a momentum wheel that was used to establish stability about the nominal rotation , or z-axis . The orientation of the z-axis could be altered over a period of hours using magnetic torque coils that interacted with the Earth 's magnetic field . Solar panels charged batteries during the daylight portion of each orbit , so that SAS 3 had essentially no expendables to limit its lifetime beyond the life of the tape recorders , batteries , and orbital drag . The spacecraft typically operated in a rotating mode , spinning at one revolution per 95-min orbit , so that the LEDs , tube and slat collimator experiments , which looked out along the y-axis , could view and scan the sky almost continuously . The rotation could also be stopped , allowing extended ( up to 30 min ) pointed observations of selected sources by the y-axis instruments . Data were recorded on board by magnetic tape recorders , and played back during station passes every orbit .
COS-B was the first European Space Research Organisation mission to study cosmic gamma ray sources . COS-B was first put forward by the European scientific community in the mid-1960s and approved by the ESRO council in 1969 . The mission consisted of a satellite containing gamma-ray detectors , which was launched by NASA on behalf of the ESRO on August 9 , 1975 . The mission was completed on April 25 , 1982 , after the satellite had been operational for more than 6.5 years , four years longer than planned and had increased the amount of data on gamma rays by a factor of 25 . Scientific results included the 2CG Catalogue listing around 25 gamma ray sources and a map of the Milky Way . The satellite also observed the X-ray binary Cygnus X-3 .
The European Space Agency pronunciation ( help·info ) ( ESA ; French : Agence spatiale européenne pronunciation ( help·info ) , ASE ; German : Europäische Weltraumorganisation ) is an intergovernmental organisation of 22 member states dedicated to the exploration of space . Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris , ESA has a worldwide staff of about 2,200 in 2018 and an annual budget of about €6.68 billion ( ~US $ 7.43 billion ) in 2020 . ESA 's space flight programme includes human spaceflight ( mainly through participation in the International Space Station program ) ; the launch and operation of uncrewed exploration missions to other planets and the Moon ; Earth observation , science and telecommunication ; designing launch vehicles ; and maintaining a major spaceport , the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou , French Guiana . The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle . The agency is also working with NASA to manufacture the Orion Spacecraft service module , that will fly on the Space Launch System . The agency 's facilities are distributed among the following centres :
The Cosmic Radiation Satellite ( CORSA ) was a Japanese space telescope . It was supposed to be Japan 's first X-ray astronomy satellite but was lost due to failure of its Mu-3 launch vehicle . A replacement satellite Hakucho ( CORSA-b ) was later launched .
Institute of Space and Astronautical Science ( 宇宙科学研究所 , Uchū kagaku kenkyūjo ) ( ISAS ) is a Japanese national research organization of astrophysics using rockets , astronomical satellites and interplanetary probes which played a major role in Japan 's space development . Since 2003 , it is a division of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ( JAXA ) .
HEAO-1 was an X-ray telescope launched in 1977 . HEAO-1 surveyed the sky in the X-ray portion of the electromagnetic spectrum ( 0.2 keV - 10 MeV ) , providing nearly constant monitoring of X-ray sources near the ecliptic poles and more detailed studies of a number of objects by observations lasting 3-6 hours . It was the first of NASA 's three High Energy Astronomy Observatories , HEAO 1 , launched August 12 , 1977 aboard an Atlas rocket with a Centaur upper stage , operated until 9 January 1979 . During that time , it scanned the X-ray sky almost three times HEAO included four X-ray and gamma-ray astronomy instruments , known as A1 , A2 , A3 , and A4 , respectively ( before launch , HEAO 1 was known as HEAO A ) . The orbital inclination was about 22.7 degrees . HEAO 1 re-entered the Earth 's atmosphere on 15 March 1979 .
Einstein Observatory ( HEAO-2 ) was the first fully imaging X-ray telescope put into space and the second of NASA 's three High Energy Astrophysical Observatories . Named HEAO B before launch , the observatory 's name was changed to honor Albert Einstein upon its successfully attaining orbit .
Einstein Observatory ( HEAO-2 ) was the first fully imaging X-ray telescope put into space and the second of NASA 's three High Energy Astrophysical Observatories . Named HEAO B before launch , the observatory 's name was changed to honor Albert Einstein upon its successfully attaining orbit .
Hakucho ( also known as CORSA-b before launch ) was Japan 's first X-ray astronomy satellite , developed by the Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science ( then a division of the University of Tokyo ) . It was launched by the ISAS M-3C-4 rocket on February 21 , 1979 and reentered the atmosphere on April 16 , 1985 [ citation needed ] . It was a replacement for the CORSA satellite which failed to launch due to rocket failure on February 4 , 1976 [ citation needed ] .
The last of NASA 's three High Energy Astronomy Observatories , HEAO 3 was launched 20 September 1979 on an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle , into a nearly circular , 43.6 degree inclination low-Earth orbit with an initial perigeum of 486.4 km . The normal operating mode was a continuous celestial scan , spinning approximately once every 20 min about the spacecraft z-axis , which was nominally pointed at the Sun . Total mass of the observatory at launch was 2,660.0 kilograms ( 5,864.3 lb ) . HEAO 3 included three scientific instruments : the first a cryogenic high-resolution germanium gamma-ray spectrometer , and two devoted to cosmic-ray observations . The scientific objectives of the mission 's three experiments were :
Tenma , known as ASTRO-B before launch ( COSPAR 1983-011A , SATCAT 13829 ) , was Japan 's second X-ray astronomy satellite , developed by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science . It was launched on February 20 , 1983 using a M-3S-3 rocket as the vehicle . Battery failure in July 1984 caused the operation to become limited , and continuing problems lead to the termination of X-ray observation in 1985 . It reentered the atmosphere on January 19 , 1989 ( other sources say decay date was 17 December 1988 ) .
Astron was a Soviet spacecraft launched on 23 March 1983 at 12:45:06 UTC , using Proton launcher , which was designed to fulfill an astrophysics mission . It was based on the 4MV spacecraft design and was operational for six years as the largest ultraviolet space telescope during its lifetime . The project was headed by Alexandr Boyarchuk . The spacecraft was designed and constructed by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory and NPO Lavochkin . A group of scientists from these institutions was awarded the USSR State Prize for their work on Astron . Astron 's payload consisted of an 80 cm ultraviolet telescope which was designed jointly by the USSR and France , and an X-ray spectroscope on board . It could take UV spectra 150-350 nm . Placed into an orbit with an apogee of 185,000 kilometres ( 115,000 mi ) it could make observations outside the Earth 's umbra and radiation belt . Among the most important observations by Astron were those of the SN 1987A supernova on March 4-12 , 1987 and of Halley 's Comet in December , 1985 , that allowed a group of Soviet scientists to develop a model of the coma surrounding Halley 's Comet .
The Russian Space Research Institute ( Russian : Институт космических исследований Российской академии наук , Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences , Russian abbreviation : ИКИ РАН , IKI RAN ) is the leading organization of the Russian Academy of Sciences on space exploration to benefit fundamental science . It was formerly known as the Space Research Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences ( Russian abbr . : ИКИ АН СССР , IKI AN SSSR ) . The Institute is located in Moscow with a staff of 289 scientists . It conducts scientific research in the fields of astrophysics , planetary science , solar physics , Sun-Earth relations , cosmic plasma , and geophysics . IKI also develops and tests space technologies in collaboration with the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Federal Space Agency .
The European X-ray Observatory Satellite ( EXOSAT ) , originally named HELOS , was an X-ray telescope operational from May 1983 until April 1986 and in that time made 1780 observations in the X-ray band of most classes of astronomical object including active galactic nuclei , stellar coronae , cataclysmic variables , white dwarfs , X-ray binaries , clusters of galaxies , and supernova remnants . This European Space Agency ( ESA ) satellite for direct-pointing and lunar-occultation observation of X-ray sources beyond the solar system was launched into a highly eccentric orbit ( apogee 200,000 km , perigee 500 km ) almost perpendicular to that of the moon on 26 May 1983 . The instrumentation includes two low-energy imaging telescopes ( LEIT ) with Wolter I X-ray optics ( for the 0.04-2 keV energy range ) , a medium-energy experiment using Ar/CO2 and Xe/CO2 detectors ( for 1.5-50 keV ) , a Xe/He gas scintillation spectrometer ( GSPC ) ( covering 2-80 keV ) , and a reprogrammable onboard data-processing computer . Exosat was capable of observing an object ( in the direct-pointing mode ) for up to 80 hours and of locating sources to within at least 10 arcsec with the LEIT and about 2 arcsec with GSPC .
ASTRO-C , renamed Ginga ( Japanese for 'galaxy ' ) , was an X-ray astronomy satellite launched from the Kagoshima Space Center on 5 February 1987 using M-3SII launch vehicle . The primary instrument for observations was the Large Area Counter ( LAC ) . Ginga was the third Japanese X-ray astronomy mission , following Hakucho and Tenma . Ginga reentered the Earth 's atmosphere on 1 November 1991 .
The International Astrophysical Observatory GRANAT ( usually known as Granat ; Russian : Гранат ) , was a Soviet ( later Russian ) space observatory developed in collaboration with France , Denmark and Bulgaria . It was launched on 1 December 1989 aboard a Proton rocket and placed in a highly eccentric four-day orbit , of which three were devoted to observations . It operated for almost nine years . In September 1994 , after nearly five years of directed observations , the gas supply for its attitude control was exhausted and the observatory was placed in a non-directed survey mode . Transmissions finally ceased on 27 November 1998 . With seven different instruments on board , Granat was designed to observe the universe at energies ranging from X-ray to gamma ray . Its main instrument , SIGMA , was capable of imaging both hard X-ray and soft gamma-ray sources . The PHEBUS instrument was meant to study gamma-ray bursts and other transient X-Ray sources . Other experiments such as ART-P were intended to image X-Ray sources in the 35 to 100 keV range . One instrument , WATCH , was designed to monitor the sky continuously and alert the other instruments to new or interesting X-Ray sources . The ART-S spectrometer covered the X-ray energy range while the KONUS-B and TOURNESOL experiments covered both the X-ray and gamma ray spectrum .
The French National Center for Scientific Research ( French : Centre national de la recherche scientifique , CNRS ) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe . In 2016 , it employed 31,637 staff , including 11,137 tenured researchers , 13,415 engineers and technical staff , and 7,085 contractual workers . It is headquartered in Paris and has administrative offices in Brussels , Beijing , Tokyo , Singapore , Washington , D.C. , Bonn , Moscow , Tunis , Johannesburg , Santiago de Chile , Israel , and New Delhi . CNRS was ranked # 3 in 2015 and # 4 in 2017 by the Nature Index , which measures the largest contributors to papers published in 82 leading journals .
ROSAT ( short for Röntgensatellit , in German X-rays are called Röntgenstrahlen , in honour of Wilhelm Röntgen ) was a German Aerospace Center-led satellite X-ray telescope , with instruments built by West Germany , the United Kingdom and the United States . It was launched on 1 June 1990 , on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral , on what was initially designed as an 18-month mission , with provision for up to five years of operation . ROSAT actually operated for over eight years , finally shutting down on 12 February 1999 . In February 2011 , it was reported that the 2,400 kg ( 5,291 lb ) satellite was unlikely to burn up entirely while re-entering the Earth 's atmosphere due to the large amount of ceramics and glass used in construction . Parts as heavy as 400 kg ( 882 lb ) could impact the surface intact . ROSAT eventually re-entered the Earth 's atmosphere on 23 October 2011 over Bay of Bengal .
The German Aerospace Center ( German : Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V . ) , abbreviated DLR , is the national center for aerospace , energy and transportation research of Germany . Its headquarters are located in Cologne and it has multiple other locations throughout Germany . The DLR is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in national and international partnerships . In addition to conducting its own research projects , DLR also acts as the German space agency . As such , it is responsible for planning and implementing the German space programme on behalf of the German federal government . As a project management agency , DLR also coordinates and answers the technical and organisational implementation of projects funded by a number of German federal ministries .
The Broad Band X-ray Telescope ( BBXRT ) was flown on the Space Shuttle Columbia ( STS-35 ) on 1990 December 2-December 11 , as part of the ASTRO-1 payload . The flight of BBXRT marked the first opportunity for performing X-ray observations over a broad energy range ( 0.3-12 keV ) with a moderate energy resolution ( typically 90 eV and 150 eV at 1 and 6 keV , respectively ) . BBXRT was co-mounted with three ultraviolet telescopes HUT , WUPPE , and HIT for Astro-1 in 1990 . This was , .the first focusing X-ray telescope operating over a broad energy range 0.3-12 keV with a moderate energy resolution ( 90 eV at 1 keV and 150eV at 6 keV ) . according to NASA .
The Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics ( ASCA , formerly named ASTRO-D ) was the fourth cosmic X-ray astronomy mission by JAXA , and the second for which the United States provided part of the scientific payload . The satellite was successfully launched on 20 February 1993 . The first eight months of the ASCA mission were devoted to performance verification . Having established the quality of performance of all ASCA 's instruments , the spacecraft provided science observations for the remainder of the mission . In this phase the observing program was open to astronomers based at Japanese and U.S. institutions , as well as those located in member states of the European Space Agency .
The Array of Low Energy X-ray Imaging Sensors ( ALEXIS , also known as P89-1B , COSPAR 1993-026A , SATCAT 22638 ) X-ray telescope featured curved mirrors whose multilayer coatings reflected and focused low-energy X-rays or extreme ultraviolet light the way optical telescopes focus visible light . The satellite and payloads were funded by the United States Department of Energy and built by Los Alamos National Laboratory in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of California-Space Sciences Lab . The satellite bus was built by AeroAstro , Inc. of Herndon , VA . The Launch was provided by the United States Air Force Space Test Program on a Pegasus Booster on April 25 , 1993 . The mission was entirely controlled from a small groundstation at LANL .
Los Alamos National Laboratory ( Los Alamos or LANL for short ) is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory initially organized during World War II for the design of nuclear weapons as part of the Manhattan Project . It is located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe , New Mexico in the southwestern US . Los Alamos was selected as the top secret location for bomb design in late 1942 , and officially commissioned the next year , under the management of University of California . At the time it was known as Project Y and was the center for weapon design and overall coordination . Other labs , today known as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Hanford Site , concentrated on the production of uranium and plutonium bomb fuels . Los Alamos was the heart of the project , collecting together some of the world 's most famous scientists , among them numerous Nobel Prize winners . The site was known variously as Project Y , Los Alamos Laboratory , and Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory through this period . The lab 's existence was announced to the world in the post-WWII era , when it became known universally as Los Alamos . In 1952 , the Atomic Energy Commission formed a second design lab under the direction of the University of California , Berkeley , becoming the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ( LLNL ) . Since that date the two labs have competed on a wide variety of bomb designs . With the ending of the Cold War , both labs turned their focus increasingly to civilian missions . Today , Los Alamos is one of the largest science and technology institutions in the world .