Ariel 2
Encyclopedia
Ariel 2, also known as UK-C, was a British radio astronomy satellite
, which was operated by the Science and Engineering Research Council
as part of the Ariel programme. It was built in America by Westinghouse Electric, and had a mass at launch of 68 kilograms (149.9 lb). It was launched in 1964, and became the first satellite to be used for radio astronomy.
The launch of Ariel 2 was conducted by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration
, using a Scout X-3 rocket. The launch occurred at 17:25:23 GMT on 27 March 1964, from Launch Area 3
at the Wallops Flight Facility
. Ariel 2 was placed into a low Earth orbit
, with a perigee
of 289 kilometres (179.6 mi), an apogee of 1343 kilometres (834.5 mi), 51.6 degrees of inclination
and an orbital period
of 101.2 minutes. It ceased operations in November 1964, and subsequently decayed from orbit on 18 November 1967.
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
, which was operated by the Science and Engineering Research Council
Science and Engineering Research Council
The Science and Engineering Research Council used to be the UK agency in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities including astronomy, biotechnology and biological sciences, space research and particle physics...
as part of the Ariel programme. It was built in America by Westinghouse Electric, and had a mass at launch of 68 kilograms (149.9 lb). It was launched in 1964, and became the first satellite to be used for radio astronomy.
The launch of Ariel 2 was conducted by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, using a Scout X-3 rocket. The launch occurred at 17:25:23 GMT on 27 March 1964, from Launch Area 3
Wallops Flight Facility Launch Area 3
Launch Area 3 at the Wallops Flight Facility is a launch complex which was used, mostly by Scout rockets, between 1960 and 1985. Forty one Scout launches occurred from the complex, making both orbital and suborbital. In addition, four Nike sounding rockets were launched from the complex in...
at the Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...
. Ariel 2 was placed into a low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
, with a perigee
Perigee
Perigee is the point at which an object makes its closest approach to the Earth.. Often the term is used in a broader sense to define the point in an orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the body it orbits. The opposite is the apogee, the farthest or highest point.The Greek prefix "peri"...
of 289 kilometres (179.6 mi), an apogee of 1343 kilometres (834.5 mi), 51.6 degrees of inclination
Inclination
Inclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
and an orbital period
Orbital period
The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
of 101.2 minutes. It ceased operations in November 1964, and subsequently decayed from orbit on 18 November 1967.