* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Vanguard I satellite

Blobrana · L

Vanguard 1 (ID: 1958-Beta 2 ) was the fourth artificial Earth satellite launched and the first satellite to be solar powered. Although communication with it was lost in 1964, it remains the oldest manmade satellite still in orbit.
A three stage launch vehicle placed Vanguard into a 654x3,969 km, 134.2 minute elliptical orbit inclined at 34.25 degrees on March 17, 1958.

Source

Blobrana · L

Expand (94kb, 854 x 558)

Blobrana · L

On this date, fifty years ago, the US Navy launched the Vanguard 1 satellite.

Vanguard 1 was a small earth-orbiting satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit.
Read more

TLE Data

VANGUARD 1
1 00005U 58002B   08077.12474539  .00000095  00000-0  14564-3 0  2616
2 00005 034.2521 323.7395 1846476 029.3643 339.9070 10.83896797719500

Blobrana · L

The Vanguard I satellite , the world's oldest orbiting man-made satellite, launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 1958, will mark its 50th year in space on March 17.

Read more

Period     132.85
Incl.     34.26
Apogee 3840
Perigee    653

TLE Data

VANGUARD 1
1 00005U 58002B   08072.88416686  .00000027  00000-0  50797-4 0  2594
2 00005 034.2565 336.7755 1847042 010.3087 353.0564 10.83895789719048