S-45A

Explorer S-45A (satellite)

Explorer S-45A (satellite)

American ionosphere research satellite

Explorer S-45A was a NASA satellite, which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. The satellite was intended to operate in a highly elliptical orbit, from which it was to have provided data on the shape of the ionosphere,[1] and on the Earth's magnetic field.[2] It was part of the Explorer program and would have been designated Explorer 12 had it reached orbit. It was the second of two identical satellites to be launched; the first, Explorer S-45, had also been lost in a launch failure, earlier in the year.[2]

Quick Facts Names, Mission type ...

Launch

Explorer S-45A was launched aboard a Juno II launch vehicle, serial number AM-19G. It was the final flight of the Juno II.[3] The launch took place from LC-26B at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) at 19:48:05 GMT on 24 May 1961.[3] The system which was intended to ignite the second stage malfunctioned, and as a result that stage failed to ignite.[4] The launch vehicle failed to achieve orbit.[5]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    "Explorer S-45A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. [2]
    Wade, Mark. "P-14". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  3. [3]
    McDowell, Jonathan (21 July 2021). "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  4. [4]
    Krebs, Gunter. "Explorer: S-45". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  5. [5]
    "Explorer Program". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA. Archived from the original on 27 January 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2010. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article S-45A, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.