Astérix (satellite)
Encyclopedia
Astérix, the first French
satellite, was launched on November 26, 1965 by a rocket of type Diamant A
from Hammaguir
in Algeria. It was originally designated A-1, as the French Army's first satellite, but later renamed after the popular French cartoon character Astérix
. Due to the relatively high altitude of its orbit, it is not expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere for several centuries to come. With Astérix, France
became the sixth country to have an artificial satellite in orbit, behind the USSR (Sputnik 1
, 1957), the USA (Explorer 1, 1958), the United Kingdom
(Ariel 1
, 1962), Canada
(Alouette 1
, 1962) and Italy
(San Marco 1
, 1964) but the third to launch the satellite there on its own (the UK, Canada and Italy's satellites were launched on American rockets).
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
satellite, was launched on November 26, 1965 by a rocket of type Diamant A
Diamant
The Diamant rocket was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the USA or USSR. As such it is the main predecessor of all subsequent European launcher projects...
from Hammaguir
Hammaguir
Hammaguir is a town in Algeria, south-west of Béchar. Between 1947 and 1967 there was a rocket launch site near Hammaguir, used by France for launching sounding rockets and the satellite carrier "Diamant" between 1965 and 1967....
in Algeria. It was originally designated A-1, as the French Army's first satellite, but later renamed after the popular French cartoon character Astérix
Asterix
Asterix or The Adventures of Asterix is a series of French comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo . The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on October 29, 1959...
. Due to the relatively high altitude of its orbit, it is not expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere for several centuries to come. With Astérix, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
became the sixth country to have an artificial satellite in orbit, behind the USSR (Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
, 1957), the USA (Explorer 1, 1958), the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Ariel 1
Ariel 1
Ariel 1, also known as UK-1 and S-55, was the first British satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the USA...
, 1962), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
(Alouette 1
Alouette 1
Alouette 1 was Canada's first satellite, and the first satellite constructed by a country other than the USSR or the United States. Occasionally, Alouette 1 is misrepresented as the third satellite successfully put in orbit, rather than being from the third country to have one of its own in space,...
, 1962) and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(San Marco 1
San Marco 1
San Marco 1, also known as San Marco A, was the first Italian satellite, and one of the earliest non-Soviet/US spacecraft. Built in-house by the Italian Space Research Commission on behalf of the National Research Council, it was the first of five as part of the Italian-US San Marco programme.The...
, 1964) but the third to launch the satellite there on its own (the UK, Canada and Italy's satellites were launched on American rockets).
Data
- Weight: 42 kg
- PerigeePerigeePerigee 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"...
: 527 km - Apogee: 1697 km
- InclinationInclinationInclination 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...
: 34.3 degrees - Orbital periodOrbital periodThe 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...
: 107.5 minutes and 5 seconds