Vela 1B Explained

Vela 1B
Operator:USAF
Cospar Id:1963-039C
Satcat:00692
Mission Duration:6 months (planned)
Manufacturer:TRW
Launch Mass:150kg (330lb)
Power:90 W
Launch Rocket:Atlas-LV3 Agena-D
Launch Site:Cape Canaveral LC-13
Orbit Reference:Geocentric[1]
Orbit Regime:Highly Elliptical
Orbit Periapsis:42766km (26,574miles)
Orbit Apoapsis:175984.2km (109,351.5miles)
Orbit Inclination:28.7°
Orbit Semimajor:115746km (71,921miles)
Orbit Period:6,531.6 minutes
Apsis:gee
Instruments List:
Name1:X-ray/Charged Particle
Name2:Gamma ray/Charged Particle
Name3:Neutron Detectors
Programme:Vela
Previous Mission:Vela 1A
Next Mission:Vela 2A

Vela 1B was a military satellite developed to detect nuclear detonations to monitor compliance with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty by the Soviet Union.

Launch

Vela 1B was launched on October 17, 1963, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, by an Atlas-Agena launch vehicle. Vela 1B was launched along with Vela 1A and with ERS-12.[2]

Mission

Vela 1B was one of two spin-stabilized satellites comprising the first launch in a series of 6 Vela launches. Their objectives were to monitor nuclear weapons explosions in space and to study X-rays, gamma-rays, neutrons, and charged particles as the satellites passed through interplanetary space, the bow shock, the magnetosheath, and the magnetotail. The satellite operated in either a real-time mode (one data frame/sec) or a memory store mode (one data frame every 256 seconds). The spacecraft was operated in the real-time mode about 40% of the time and in the store mode for the rest of the time until the next Vela launch. At this time, tracking priority was given to the new spacecraft, and the older spacecraft was operated in the store mode only. There had been less and less data coverage of these satellites with each succeeding launch.[3]

Specifications

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: VELA 1. N2YO.com. N2YO.com. June 3, 2018.
  2. Web site: Vela. https://web.archive.org/web/20161228060309/http://astronautix.com/v/vela.html. dead. December 28, 2016. Astronautix. Mark. Wade. June 3, 2018.
  3. Web site: Vela 1B. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. June 3, 2018.