NanoSail-D [SEP] time of spacecraft launch
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NanoSail-D


NanoSail-D was a small satellite which was to have been used by NASA's Ames Research Center to study the deployment of a solar sail in space. It was a three-unit CubeSat measuring 30 by 10 by 10 centimetres (12 × 3.9 × 3.9 inches), with a mass of . The satellite was lost shortly after launch due to a problem with the rocket carrying it; however, a replacement, NanoSail-D2, was launched in 2010 to complete its mission. NanoSail-D was to have been
3076073
Cosmos 1


the International Space Station. The Discovery Channel was an early investor. However, advances in technology and the greater availability of lower mass piggyback slots on more launch vehicles led to a redesign similar to NanoSail-D, called LightSail-1, announced in November 2009. To test the solar sail concept, the Cosmos 1 project launched an orbital spacecraft they named "Cosmos 1" with a full complement of eight sail blades on June 21, 2005 — the summer solstice. The spacecraft had a mass of and consisted of eight triangular sail
4636443
Ratsat


failed to place the Trailblazer, NanoSail-D, PRESat and Celestis Explorers spacecraft into orbit. No major changes were made to the rocket, other than increasing the time between first stage burnout and second stage separation. This minor change addressed the failure seen on the previous flight, recontact between the first and second stages, by dissipating residual thrust in the enhanced first stage engine in vacuum before separation. Although SpaceX was working on concepts to recover the first stage of Falcon 1 launch vehicles, as of this launch, they had
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NanoSail-D2


own and deployed its sail three days later on the 20th. The beacon signal began transmitting after ejection and was first received on the afternoon of January 19, 2011. NanoSail-D2 was originally built as a ground spare for the NanoSail-D satellite, which was launched aboard a Falcon 1 in 2008, and was subsequently lost when the rocket malfunctioned during stage separation. Over the next two years improvements were made to the spare, and the satellite was incorporated into the FASTSAT mission. NanoSail-D2 was launched aboard a
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LightSail


"Cosmos 1"a solar sail spacecraft designed by The Planetary Society in the early 2000s which was destroyed during a launch failure in 2005. Both LightSail spacecraft measure in their stowed configuration. After sail deployment, the total area of each spacecraft is . In 2005, The Planetary Society attempted to send a solar sail satellite named "Cosmos 1" into space, but the spacecraft's Russian Volna launch vehicle failed to reach orbit. In 2009, the Society began working on a CubeSat-based solar sail based on NASA's NanoSail-
8362250
Solar sail


3 August 2008. The second backup version, NanoSail-D2, also sometimes called simply NanoSail-D, was launched with FASTSAT on a Minotaur IV on November 19, 2010, becoming NASA's first solar sail deployed in low earth orbit. The objectives of the mission were to test sail deployment technologies, and to gather data about the use of solar sails as a simple, "passive" means of de-orbiting dead satellites and space debris. The NanoSail-D structure was made of aluminium and plastic, with
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Solar sail


the spacecraft massing less than . The sail has about of light-catching surface. After some initial problems with deployment, the solar sail was deployed and over the course of its 240-day mission reportedly produced a "wealth of data" concerning the use of solar sails as passive deorbit devices. NASA launched the second NanoSail-D unit stowed inside the FASTSAT satellite on the Minotaur IV on November 19, 2010. The ejection date from the FASTSAT microsatellite was planned for December 6, 2010, but deployment only occurred on January 20
10329205
Falcon 1


-stage engine shut down, after the vehicle reached orbit. The initial orbit was reported to be about 330 × 650 km. Following a coast period, the second stage restarted and performed a successful second burn, resulting in a final orbit of 621 × 643 km × 9.35°. The rocket followed the same trajectory as the previous flight, which failed to place the Trailblazer, NanoSail-D, PRESat and Celestis Explorers spacecraft into orbit. No major changes were made to the rocket, other than increasing the time between
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Solar electric propulsion


Solar electric propulsion (SEP) typically refers to the combination of solar cells and an ion drive to propel a spacecraft through outer space. This technology has been exploited in a variety of spacecraft by the European Space Agency, the Japanese Space Agency, Indian Space Research Organisation and NASA. SEP is valued for its potential for a high specific impulse, thus allowing less mass for propellant to be launched with a spacecraft and it has been evaluated for mission to Mars. Solar electric propulsion combines solar panels on spacecraft and ion thrusters,
19663908
NanoSail-D


unexpected residual thrust caused it to recontact the second stage, which resulted in the rocket being thrown off course. Unable to achieve orbit, the rocket and payloads fell into the Pacific Ocean. NanoSail-D was to have been operated in a low Earth orbit with a perigee of , an apogee of and 9 degrees of inclination. It would have been operational for around seven days, after which time it would have been expected to run out of power. Its solar sail had an area of . The satellite was developed and
3076075
Nimbus 4


Nimbus 4 (also called Nimbus D) was a meteorological satellite. It was the fourth in a series of the Nimbus program. Nimbus 4 was launched on April 8, 1970, by a Thor-Agena rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, CA. The spacecraft functioned nominally until 30 Sep 1980. The satellite orbited the Earth once every 1 hour and 47 minutes, at an inclination of 80°. Its perigee was and apogee was . Nimbus 4, the fourth in a series of second-generation meteorological
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Spacecraft propulsion


mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion system, which uses a small cloud of plasma held in a magnetic field to deflect the Sun's charged particles. An E-sail would use very thin and lightweight wires holding an electric charge to deflect these particles, and may have more controllable directionality. As a proof of concept, NanoSail-D became the first nanosatellite to orbit Earth. There are plans to add them to future Earth orbit satellites, enabling them to de-orbit and burn up once they are no longer needed. Cubesail
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Solar sail


Falcon Heavy launch. "LightSail-1" was launched on 20 May 2015. The purpose of the test was to allow a full checkout of the satellite's systems in advance of LightSail-2. Its deployment orbit was not high enough to escape Earth's atmospheric drag and demonstrate true solar sailing. "LightSail-2" was launched on 25 June 2019, and deployed into a much higher low-Earth orbit. Its solar sails were deployed on 23 July 2019. Despite the losses of "Cosmos 1" and NanoSail-D (which were
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NanoSail-D


deployed on the third flight of the Falcon 1 rocket, which was launched from Omelek Island at 03:34 UTC on 3 August 2008. One of two CubeSats aboard, along with PRESat, it was a secondary payload to the Trailblazer which was to have been operated by the Operationally Responsive Space Office of the United States Department of Defense. The launch was conducted by SpaceX, and also carried a space burial payload for Celestis. Two minutes and forty seconds after launch, the spent first stage of the rocket was jettisoned; however,
3076074
NanoSail-D2


NanoSail-D2 was a small satellite built by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center to study the deployment of a solar sail in space. It was a three-unit CubeSat, measuring with a mass of . Its solar sail had an area of , and was deployed in around five seconds. It was planned to be deployed from the FASTSAT satellite around 3 December 2010, two weeks after launch. The satellite did not eject at that time, but on January 17, 2011, it ejected on its
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NanoSail-D2


of of altitude and 72 degrees of inclination. NanoSail-D2 was expected to separate from FASTSAT on December 6, but although the bay door opened ejection did not occur. Successful ejection was confirmed on 19 January 2011; it is unclear what caused the ejection mechanism to fail and then ultimately release at this later date. NASA requested amateur radio operators listen for the beacon signal from NanoSail-D. They did and picked up the 1-second beacon transmissions which were transmitted every 10 seconds. While battery power was soon exhausted, as predicted
10728800
2008 in spaceflight


launched the third Falcon 1. Due to residual thrust caused by the upgraded Merlin-1C engine which was being flown for the first time, the first stage recontacted the second during staging, resulting in the rocket failing to reach orbit. The Trailblazer, PreSat and NanoSail-D satellites were lost in the failure, as was a space burial capsule, containing the remains of several hundred people, including astronaut Gordon Cooper, actor James Doohan, writer and director John Meredyth Lucas and Apollo mission planner Mareta West. On 16 August, Iran
16368794
Proton-K


. Many launches used an upper stage to boost the payload into a higher orbit. Blok D upper stages were used on forty flights, the majority of which were for the Luna and Zond programmes. Ten flights used the Blok D-1, mostly to launch spacecraft towards Venus. Blok D-2 upper stages were used three times, with the Fobos 1, Fobos 2 and Mars 96 spacecraft. The Blok DM upper stage was used on 66 launches. The most commonly used upper stage was the Blok DM-2, which was used on 109
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Solar sail


Society received applause for their efforts from the space community and sparked a rekindled interest in solar sail technology. On Carl Sagan's 75th birthday (November 9, 2009) the Planetary Society announced plans to make three further attempts, dubbed LightSail-1, -2, and -3. The new design will use a 32 m Mylar sail, deployed in four triangular segments like NanoSail-D. The launch configuration is a 3U CubeSat format, and as of 2015, it was scheduled as a secondary payload for a 2016 launch on the first SpaceX
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LightSail


D project, which was lost in August 2008 due to the failure of its Falcon 1 launch vehicle. (A second unit, NanoSail-D2, was successfully deployed in early 2011.) In 2011, the LightSail project passed its critical design review, which was conducted by a team including JPL project veterans Bud Schurmeier, Glenn Cunningham, and Viktor Kerzhanovich, as well as Dave Bearden of Aerospace Corporation.. On May 20, 2015, LightSail 1 (formerly called LightSail-A) launched. It deployed its solar sail
8362251
Solar sail


thin-film solar array is embedded in the sail. Eight LCD panels are embedded in the sail, whose reflectance can be adjusted for attitude control. IKAROS spent six months traveling to Venus, and then began a three-year journey to the far side of the Sun. A team from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Marshall), along with a team from the NASA Ames Research Center, developed a solar sail mission called NanoSail-D, which was lost in a launch failure aboard a Falcon 1 rocket on
10329203
Falcon 1


shutdown transient was to be addressed by initiating shutdown at a much lower thrust level, albeit at some risk to engine reusability. The SpaceX team wished to work on the problem to avoid a recurrence as they changed over into the operational phase for Falcon 1. SpaceX attempted the third Falcon 1 launch on 3 August 2008 (GMT) from Kwajalein. This flight carried the Trailblazer (Jumpstart-1) satellite for the US Air Force, the NanoSail-D and PREsat nanosatellites for NASA and a space burial payload for Celestis. The rocket
10713688
Interstellar Probe (1999)


there were additional studies, including the Innovative Interstellar Explorer (published 2003), which focused on a design using RTGs powering an ion engine rather than a solar sail. Another project in this field for advanced spaceflight during this period was the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program which ran from 1996 through 2002. Later examples of solar sail-propelled spacecraft include IKAROS, Nanosail-D2, and LightSail. Near-Earth Asteroid Scout is a planned light sail-propelled mission. For comparison, the LightSail spacecraft uses a sail 5 micron in
1198307
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout


perform a series of lunar flybys to achieve optimum departure trajectory before beginning its 2.0 - 2.5 year-long cruise to the asteroid 1991 VG. Four 6.8 m booms will deploy the single 86 m aluminized polyimide solar sail, which is 2.5 μm thick. The sail deployment mechanism is a modification of those of NanoSail and the Planetary Society's LightSail 2 spacecraft. The deployment time for the full sail is approximately 30 minutes. The avionics module accommodates the printed circuit boards for telecommunications, power distribution unit, command and data handling system
21563198
RM-81 Agena


stage. A special production line was set up to turn out 40 Agena-D spacecraft per year. Edwards remained responsible for the engineering for several years, until the Air Force declared the Agena-D as operational and froze its design. By the time of its retirement, the reliability of the Agena-D exceeded 95 percent. The first Agena D launch was of KH-4 #7 on June 28, 1963, and a total of 269 Agena Ds were launched. Thor-Agena flew for the last time in 1972
692126
Daniele Mortari


of IEEE-AESS Space System Technical Panel, (Sep. 2009), NASA Group Achievement Award, (May 2008), AIAA, Associate Fellow, (Nov. 2007), IEEE-AESS Distinguished Speaker, (Feb. 2005), Spacecraft Technology Center Award (Jan. 2003), NASA Group Achievement Award, (May 1989). The original theory of Flower Constellations has been proposed in 2004. Then, the theory has evolved, moving to the 2-D Lattice theory, to the 3-D lattice theory, and recently, to
1507289
Mercury-Atlas 9


Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final crewed space mission of the U.S. Mercury program, launched on May 15, 1963 from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft, named Faith 7, completed 22 Earth orbits before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, piloted by astronaut Gordon Cooper, then a United States Air Force major. The Atlas rocket was No. 130-D, and the Mercury spacecraft was No. 20. This mission marks the last time an American was launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission
2037367
Vandenberg AFB Space Launch Complex 5


Space Launch Complex 5 (SLC-5) was a launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States. It was previously part of the Point Arguello Naval Air Station, during which time it was designated Launch Complex D or LC-D. Constructed in 1961, it was used by 69 Scout rockets between 1962 and 1994. Satellites launched from the complex included Transit, OV3, Explorer and P35 spacecraft. Most of the satellites launched from SLC-5 were placed into low Earth orbits, or low medium Earth orbits. As of
12686985
Ranger program


views by a factor of 1000. The design and construction of the cameras was led by Leonard R Malling. The Ranger program manager for the first six spacecraft was James D. Burke. Block 1, consisting of two spacecraft launched into Earth orbit in 1961, was intended to test the Atlas-Agena launch vehicle and spacecraft equipment without attempting to reach the Moon. Problems with the early version of the launch vehicle left Ranger 1 and Ranger 2 in short-lived, low-Earth orbits in which the spacecraft could not stabilize
12317027
Mars 96


thermoelectric generator (RTG) and a battery. The expected lifetime of each Penetrator was one year. The launch was to take place on November 16, 1996 on a Proton 8K82K/11S824F rocket. This is a four-stage rocket in a configuration which had flown only twice before, both times to launch Phobos spacecraft towards Mars in 1988. The first three stages were to burn to fuel depletion. The fourth stage, called the Block D-2, would then ignite to place it and the spacecraft into a parking orbit around the Earth
5106870
NanoSail-D2


by the principal investigator, Dean Alhorn, the spacecraft was expected to sail on in low-Earth orbit for 70 to 120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions, before it burnt up, and to become easier to view after the atmosphere stabilized its tumbling. To generate publicity and to encourage observations while the sail was still in orbit, NASA and Spaceweather.com announced a photography competition with a grand prize of $500 to capture images of the solar sail in orbit. On September 17, 2011, the solar sail re-entered
10728801
Kosmos 419


an orbiter, with no lander. It was the ninth Soviet spacecraft launched to Mars. A Proton-K carrier rocket successfully put the spacecraft and a Blok D upper stage into a low earth parking orbit with an apogee of and a perigee of and an inclination of 51.4 degrees. The Blok D's ignition timer was incorrectly set, resulting in it failing to ignite; the timer had been set so that the stage would ignite 1.5 years after launch rather than the intended 1.5 hours. Due to its low orbit, which
11026505
InflateSail


supported by four bistable carbon-fiber tape springs. The structure was similar in format to both NanoSail-D2 and LightSail 2. The deployment of the sail was driven by a brushless DC motor. InflateSail included an avionics suite to support the deployable sail payload. The spacecraft was powered by a GOMSpace power system and returned attitude data from the Stellenbosch/Surrey Attitude Determination and Control System. Communications with ground were executed through the TRXVU Transceiver procured from ISIS, using the UHF band to transmit and the VHF to receive. Beacon
14064556
STS-41-D


launch abort at T-6 seconds on 26 June 1984. The launch was originally planned for 25 June 1984, but because of a variety of technical problems, including rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building to replace a faulty main engine, the launch was delayed by over two months. The 26 June launch attempt marked the first time since Gemini 6A that a manned spacecraft had experienced a shutdown of its engines just prior to launch. During the 26 June launch attempt, there was a launch abort at T-6 seconds, followed by a pad
18514603
Stanford Exploration Project


The Stanford Exploration Project (SEP) is an industry-funded academic consortium within the Geophysics Department at Stanford University. SEP research has contributed greatly to improving the theory and practice of constructing 3-D and 4-D images of the earth from seismic echo soundings (see: Reflection seismology). The consortium was started in the 1970s by Jon Claerbout and is currently co-directed with Biondo Biondi. SEP pioneered innovations in migration imaging, velocity estimation, dip moveout and slant stack. SEP has recently been involved in 3-D seismic applications such as
10011028
Aquarius (SAC-D instrument)


Aquarius was a NASA instrument aboard the Argentine SAC-D spacecraft. Its mission was to measure global sea surface salinity to better predict future climate conditions. Aquarius was shipped to Argentina on June 1, 2009 to be mounted in the INVAP built SAC-D satellite. It came back to Vandenberg Air Force Base on March 31, 2011. For the joint mission, Argentina provided the SAC-D spacecraft and additional science instruments, while NASA provided the Aquarius salinity sensor and the rocket launch platform. The National Aeronautics and Space
20366083
NanoSail-D2


Minotaur IV/HAPS rocket, inside the FASTSAT satellite. FASTSAT was a secondary payload on the launch, with the primary payload being STPSat-2. The launch also carried RAX, O/OREOS, FalconSat-5, and the two FASTRAC satellites; Sara-Lily and Emma. The Minotaur was launched from Launch Pad 1 of the Kodiak Launch Complex at 01:25 UTC on 20 November 2010. Orbital Sciences Corporation conducted the launch under a contract with the United States Air Force. FASTSAT was deployed into a low Earth orbit with a circular orbit
10728799
Palapa-D


using American components, and was therefore not restricted by US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which allowed the China Great Wall Industry Corporation to be selected as a launch service provider. A Long March 3B rocket, flying from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre was used to launch Palapa-D. A problem with the third stage of its carrier rocket left it in an incorrect orbit, which was subsequently corrected using the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system. After launch, Palapa-D was to have separated from its carrier
5876478
Observations and explorations of Venus


. The first time, it flew by on October 24, 2006, passing 3000 km from Venus. As Earth was on the other side of the Sun, no data was recorded. The second flyby was on July 6, 2007, where the spacecraft passed only 325 km from the cloudtops. The "Venera-D" spacecraft was proposed to Roscosmos in 2003 and the concept has been matured since then. It would be launched in the late 2020s and its prime purpose is to map Venus's surface using a powerful
19749727
Explorer 33


Explorer 33 (also known as AIMP-D, IMP-D, AIMP 1, Anchored IMP 1, Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-D) was a spacecraft in the Explorer program launched by NASA on July 1, 1966 on a mission of scientific exploration. Originally intended for a lunar orbit, mission controllers worried that the spacecraft's trajectory was too fast to guarantee lunar capture. Consequently, mission managers opted for a backup plan of placing the craft into an eccentric Earth orbit with a perigee of 265,679 km and an apogee of
8968417
Mars 6


a few days in orbit. Mars 6 was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Blok D upper stage, flying from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23. The launch occurred at 17:45:48 UTC on 5 August 1973, with the first three stages placing the spacecraft and upper stage into a low Earth parking orbit before the Blok D fired to propel Mars 6 into heliocentric orbit bound for Mars. The spacecraft performed a course correction on 13 August 1973. Mars 6's lander separated from the flyby bus on 12 March 1974 at
13443378
Apollo (spacecraft)


the S-IVB stage could leave the crew stranded in orbit, the separation system used multiple signal paths, multiple detonators and multiple explosive charges where the detonation of one charge would set off another even if the detonator on that charge failed to function. Once in space, the astronauts pressed the 'CSM/LV Sep' button on the control panel to separate the CSM from the launch vehicle. Detonating cord was ignited around the flange between the SM and SLA, and along the joints between the four SLA panels, releasing
18788495
Mars 3


Mars 3 was a robotic space probe of the Soviet Mars program, launched May 28, 1971, nine days after its twin spacecraft Mars 2. The probes were identical robotic spacecraft launched by Proton-K rockets with a Blok D upper stage, each consisting of an orbiter and an attached lander. After the Mars 2 lander crashed on the Martian surface, the Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to attain a soft landing on Mars, on 2 December 1971. It failed 20 seconds after landing, having transmitted only a
13443395
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 12


4, the first American spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, when it made a hard landing at an impact speed of . On 27 August 1962, Mariner 2 was launched by Atlas-Agena B 179D, the first spacecraft conduct a successful flyby of another planet when it flew past Venus on 14 December 1962. On 28 July 1964, Atlas-Agena B 250D launched Ranger 7, which was the first fully successful Ranger mission. On 28 November 1964, Atlas-Agena D 288D launched with Mariner 4,
21693052
Zond 5


to starvation, and little affected by space travel. The Zond spacecraft was a version of the Soyuz 7K-L1 crewed lunar-flyby spacecraft. It was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Block D upper-stage to conduct scientific studies during its lunar flyby. Out of the first four circumlunar missions launched by the Soviet Union there was one partial success, Zond 4, and three failures. After Zond4's mission in March 1968, a follow-up, Zond 1968A, was launched on 23April.
15398097
Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L


Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L, sometimes identified by NASA as Zond 1967B, was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1967 as part of the Zond programme. It was a Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, the second of nine to be launched. It was intended to perform a circumlunar flyby of the Moon before returning to the Earth for landing, but failed to achieve Earth orbit. Soyuz 7K-L1 No.5L was launched at 19:07:59 UTC on 22 November 1967 atop a Proton-K 8K78K carrier rocket with a Blok D
20190092
Project Mercury


engine running (B). At this point, the launch escape system was no longer needed, and was separated from the spacecraft by its jettison rocket (C). The space vehicle moved gradually to a horizontal attitude until, at an altitude of , the sustainer engine shut down and the spacecraft was inserted into orbit (D). This happened after 5 minutes and 10 seconds in a direction pointing east, whereby the spacecraft would gain speed from the rotation of the Earth. Here the spacecraft fired the three posigrade rockets
20422765
ESSA-6


ESSA-6 (or TOS-D) was a spin-stabilized operational meteorological satellite. Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA). ESSA-6 was launched on November 10, 1967 at 18:00 UTC. It was launched atop a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. The spacecraft had a mass of at the time of launch. ESSA-6 had an inclination of 102.12°, and an orbited the earth once every 114.8 minutes. Its perigee was and its
16437720
2011 Scottish Conservative Party leadership election


to the UK Conservative Party. This prompts mixed reactions from senior party figures. 4 Sep – Ruth Davidson formally announces that she will stand in the contest. 5 Sep – Murdo Fraser launches his campaign in Edinburgh. 8 Sep – Ruth Davidson launches her campaign in Edinburgh. 11 Sep – Lord Forsyth, at one point a suggested leadership candidate, declares his backing for Ruth Davidson. 23 Sep – Nominations for leadership close. Margaret Mitchell confirms she will stand in the election. 2 Oct – David Mundell MP declares his backing
10722174
CubeSat


10×10×68.1 cm) CubeSat and the ISIPOD can launch a different form of 6U CubeSat (10×22.63×34.05 cm). While nearly all CubeSats are deployed from a launch vehicle or the International Space Station, some are deployed by the primary payloads themselves. For example, FASTSAT deployed the NanoSail-D2, a 3U CubeSat. This was done again with the Cygnus Mass Simulator as the primary payload launched on the maiden flight of the Antares rocket, carrying and later deploying four CubeSats. For CubeSat applications beyond Earth's orbit, the method of
4504175
Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit


. On March 13, 2010, the first stage engines successfully underwent a 3.5 second static test firing, having failed a previous attempt the day before. SpaceX announced in September 2009 that the Dragon Spacecraft Qualification Unit would be the payload for the first Falcon 9 launch. At the time, launch was scheduled to occur no earlier than November 2009. The launch date had been delayed several times for various reasons, The spacecraft was launched and entered orbit on June 4, 2010. The first actual launch attempt targeted a four-
616394
Hall-effect thruster


. Over 240 thrusters have flown in space since that time with a 100% success rate. Hall thrusters are now routinely flown on commercial LEO and GEO communications satellites where they are used for orbital insertion and stationkeeping. The first Hall thruster to fly on a western satellite was a Russian D-55 built by TsNIIMASH, on the NRO's STEX spacecraft, launched on October 3, 1998. The solar electric propulsion system of the European Space Agency's SMART-1 spacecraft used a Snecma PPS-1350-G Hall thruster. SMART-1 was a technology demonstration mission that
17109600
Project FIRE


to 40,501 kilometers per hour. Instruments in the spacecraft radioed temperature data to the ground. The spacecraft exterior reached an estimated temperature of 11,400 K. About 32 minutes after launch, the spacecraft impacted into the Atlantic Ocean. During the second test, an Atlas D booster propelled the instrumented probe, called a "flying thermometer," into a ballistic trajectory over 805 km high. After 26 minutes of flight, when the spacecraft began its descent, the Antares rocket accelerated its fall. The probe entered the atmosphere at a speed of
4053758
SM-65D Atlas


upper stages, such as the RM-81 Agena, to launch satellites. The Atlas D was deployed in limited numbers as an ICBM due to its radio guidance while the fully operational E and F-series missiles had inertial guidance packages and a different ignition system that allowed faster engine starts. For Mercury, the Atlas D was used to launch four crewed Mercury spacecraft into low Earth orbit. The modified version of the Atlas D used for Project Mercury was designated Atlas LV-3B. Atlas Ds used for space launches were custom-built for the
21072163
Launch window


point. It may be continuous (i.e. able to launch every second in the launch window) or may be a collection of discrete instantaneous points between the open and close. Launch windows and days are usually calculated in UTC and then converted to the local time of where the rocket and spacecraft operators are located (frequently multiple time zones for USA launches). For trips into largely arbitrary Earth orbits, no specific launch time is required. But if the spacecraft intends to rendezvous with an object already in orbit, the launch must
20951574
Kosmos 382


Kosmos 382 was a Soyuz 7K-L1E modification of a Soyuz 7K-L1 "Zond" spacecraft and was successfully test launched into Low Earth Orbit on a Proton rocket designated as (Soyuz 7K-L1E No.2) on December 2, 1970. The main purpose of the mission was to test the N1/L3 spacecraft's Block D lunar orbit insertion/descent stage by simulating the lunar orbit insertion burn, the lunar orbit circularization burn and the final lunar descent burn. Over the course of five days, the Block D
8229610
Atlas LV-3B


The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets. The Atlas D missile was the natural choice for Project Mercury since it was the only launch vehicle in the US arsenal that could put the spacecraft into orbit and also
21189524
Asteroid Redirect Mission


that pushes the spacecraft forward. The spacecraft concept would have a dry mass of 5.5 tons, and could store up to 13 tons of xenon propellant. Each thruster would have a 30- to 50-kilowatt power level, and several thrusters can be combined to increase the power of an SEP spacecraft. This engine, which is scalable to 300 kilowatts and beyond, is being researched and developed by Northrop Grumman with Sandia National Laboratories and the University of Michigan. NASA Glenn Research Center is managing the project. Even at a destination, the
17356108
Mercury-Atlas 6


as the Soviets did), but by early December it was apparent that the mission hardware would not be ready for launch until early 1962. Mercury spacecraft #13 began taking form on McDonnell's St. Louis, Missouri assembly line in May 1960. It was chosen for the MA-6 mission in October 1960 and delivered to Cape Canaveral on August 27, 1961. Mercury spacecraft #13 and Atlas #109-D were stacked on the pad at Launch Complex 14 on January 2, 1962. As the effects of orbital space flight on humans
2037252
Mars 7


Mars 5, were launched earlier in the 1973 Mars launch window and were expected to relay data for the two landers. However, Mars 4 failed to enter orbit, and Mars 5 failed after a few days in orbit. Mars 7 was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Blok D upper stage, flying from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24. The launch occurred at 17:00:17 UTC on 9 August 1973, with the first three stages placing the spacecraft and upper stage into a low Earth parking orbit before the Blok D
13443382
Cosmos 154


Cosmos 154 (or Космос 154 in Russian) was a Soviet test spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Proton-K rocket. It was a Prototype Soyuz 7K-L1P launched by Proton and failed to go into planned translunar trajectory. It was also a probable manned precursor to the Zond series. It reached Earth orbit but the Block D translunar injection stage failed to fire (ullage rockets, which had to fire to settle propellants in tanks before main engine fired, were jettisoned prematurely). The spacecraft burned up two
127829
Mercury-Atlas 9


that supported a one-day mission. Such changes to the spacecraft included the removal of the periscope, a redundant set of thrusters, and the addition of extra batteries and oxygen tanks. In November 1962, Gordon Cooper was chosen to pilot the MA-9 mission and Alan Shepard was picked as backup. On April 22, 1963, Atlas booster 130-D and Mercury spacecraft #20 were stacked on the launch pad at Launch Complex 14. Because MA-9 would orbit over nearly every part of the world from 32.5 degrees north to 32.5 degrees
2037370
Interplanetary spaceflight


reaction products (propellant) on the Solar System body until such time as a vehicle needs to be loaded for launch. SpaceX is currently developing a system in which a reusable first stage vehicle would transport a manned interplanetary spacecraft to earth orbit, detach, return to its launch pad where a tanker spacecraft would be mounted atop it, then both fueled, then launched again to rendezvous with the waiting manned spacecraft. The tanker would then transfer its fuel to the manned spacecraft for use on its interplanetary voyage. The SpaceX "Interplanetary
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Space Shuttle


competition between two contractors for a specific contract, Phase C involved designing the details of the spacecraft components, and Phase D was the production of the spacecraft. In December 1968, NASA created the Space Shuttle Task Group to determine the optimal design for a reusable spacecraft, and issued study contracts to General Dynamics, Lockheed, McDonnell Douglas, and North American Rockwell. In July 1969, the Space Shuttle Task Group issued a report that determined that the Shuttle would be required to support a space station, launch, service, and
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TKS (spacecraft)


Bugayskiy (the FGB block) as a manned spacecraft launched with Proton rocket alternative to the Soyuz spacecraft for use with "Almaz" space stations. Development began in 1965; the "Almaz programme" had been abandoned by the time the first TKS spacecraft flew in 1977. The VA spacecraft (""Vozvrashaemiy Apparat"") was flown separately on four test missions with two craft per launch to test the design, as well as one "all-up" test mission and three resupply missions. The project had further
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McDonnell Douglas DC-X


Earth orbit takes about 90 to 120 minutes, the Earth will rotate to the east about 20 to 30 degrees in that time; or for a launch from the southern United States, about . If the spacecraft is launched to the east this does not present a problem, but for the polar orbits required of military spacecraft, when the orbit is complete the spacecraft overflies a point far to the west of the launch site. In order to land back at the launch site, the craft needs to have considerable cross-range
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Soyuz-U


Soyuz-U is generally very reliable, occasional failures have happened, such as the October 2002 launch of a Foton satellite which crashed near the pad at Plesetsk after the Blok D strap-on booster suffered an engine malfunction. One person on the ground was killed. A Soyuz-U mission failed to launch Progress M-12M to the ISS on 24 August 2011, when the upper stage experienced a problem and broke up over Siberia. It was the first time a Progress spacecraft had failed to reach orbit. Another cargo ship
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station


from Canaveral by U.S. Air Force crews. Mercury's objectives were to place a manned spacecraft in Earth orbit, investigate human performance and ability to function in space, and safely recover the astronaut and spacecraft. Suborbital flights were launched by derivatives of the Army's Redstone missile from LC-5; two such flights were made by Alan Shepard on May 5, 1961, and Gus Grissom on July 21. Orbital flights were launched by derivatives of the Air Force's larger Atlas D missile from LC-14. The first American in orbit was John
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Project FIRE


Project Fire flight tests originated from Launch Complex 12 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United States. An Atlas D launch vehicle lifted a Project FIRE spacecraft to an altitude of 122 km. After coasting to an apogee of more than 800 km, the velocity package would then FIRE the reentry vehicle into a minus 15 degree trajectory at a velocity of 11,300 meters per second. During the spacecraft's fall toward earth, a solid-fuel Antares II rocket behind the payload fired for 30 seconds, increasing the descent speed
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Big Joe 1


Big Joe 1 (Atlas 10-D) launched an unmanned boilerplate Mercury capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida on September 9, 1959. The objective of the Big Joe program was to test the Mercury spacecraft ablative heat shield. It was also the first launch of a spacecraft in Project Mercury. The prelaunch countdown went relatively smoothly, with one delay caused by the Atlas's LOX fill and drain valve failing to close. At 3:19 AM EST on September 9, Big Joe lifted from LC-14 atop Atlas 10D. All went well until the two
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Vance D. Brand


mission were Apollo Commander Thomas Stafford, Apollo Docking Module Pilot Deke Slayton, Soyuz Commander Alexei Leonov, and Soyuz Flight Engineer Valeri Kubasov. The Soyuz spacecraft was launched at Baikonur Cosmodrome, and the Apollo was launched 7½ hours later at the Kennedy Space Center. Two days later, the two spacecraft docked successfully. The linkup tested a new docking system and demonstrated international cooperation in space. There were 44 hours of docked joint activities which included four crew transfers between the Apollo and the Soyuz. Six records for docked and group flight
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James Barker (Rhode Island)


1758 (8) John Barker b. 18 Dec 1710, Middletown, RI; d. 17 Mar 1777 (9) Elisha Barker b. 27 Dec 1744, Newport, RI; d. 10 May 1827 (10) Arnold Barker b. 7 Apr 1777, Middletown, RI; d. 14 Oct 1859 (11) Alanson L. Barker b. 27 Sep 1817, PA; d. 1875 (12) Joseph Cornell Barker b. 10 Oct 1858, Mt. Zion, IA; d. 17 Sep 1937 (13) Marvin Urias Barker b. 5 Jul 1885,
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Progress M-16M


Progress M-16M (), identified by NASA as Progress 48 or 48P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station during 2012. The sixteenth Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft, it has the serial number 416 and was built by RKK Energia. It was the 126th launch to the ISS and the fifteenth Russian space launch in 2012. It was also the seventh mission for the Soyuz family of rockets since the beginning of the year. The spacecraft was launched on time at 19:35:13 GMT from the Baikonur
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Progress M-27M


to be fully controlled. The spacecraft was deemed to be a total loss. On 8 May 2015 at 02:20 UTC, the spacecraft was confirmed to have undergone destructive reentry over the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Progress M-27M was the 27th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft, with the serial number 426. It was built by RKK Energia and was operated by the Russian Federal Space Agency. This was the second time the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a rocket was used for an ISS mission launch. The spacecraft was launched on 28 April 2015 at
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Mars 5


Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24. The launch occurred at 18:55:48 UTC on 25 July 1973, with the first three stages placing the spacecraft and upper stage into a low Earth parking orbit before the Blok D fired to propel Mars 5 into heliocentric orbit bound for Mars. The spacecraft performed course correction manoeuvres on 3 August 1973 and 2 February 1974, before reaching Mars on 12 February. At 14:44:25 the spacecraft's engines ignited to begin its orbit insertion burn, which successfully placed it into an Areocentric orbit with a periapsis of , an apoapsis
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Hall-effect thruster


spacecraft, which flew the Russian D-55. The first American Hall thruster to fly in space was the Busek BHT-200 on TacSat-2 technology demonstration spacecraft. The first flight of an American Hall thruster on an operational mission, was the Aerojet BPT-4000, which launched August 2010 on the military Advanced Extremely High Frequency GEO communications satellite. At 4.5 kW, the BPT-4000 is also the highest power Hall thruster ever flown in space. Besides the usual stationkeeping tasks, the BPT-4000 is also providing orbit raising capability to the spacecraft. Several countries worldwide continue
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Tianzhou 1


braking maneuvers under ground control. It uses the first flight model of the Tianzhou. It is a Chinese automated cargo spacecraft developed from the Tiangong-1 to resupply its future modular space station. Tianzhou 1 launched successfully on 20 April 2017 at 7:41pm local time, from the Wenchang space center. This marked the second time a Long March 7 has been used, and the first one for a mission. Tianzhou-1 became the heaviest Chinese spacecraft ever launched, at that time. This mission demonstrated the Tianzhou spacecraft and its capabilities. It critically
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Mars 4


spectrometer, and a radio probe. Built by Lavochkin, Mars 4 was the first of two 3MS spacecraft launched to Mars in 1973, being followed by Mars 5. A 3MS was also launched during the 1971 launch window as Kosmos 419. However, due to a launch failure, it failed to depart Earth orbit. In addition to the orbiters, two 3MP lander missions, Mars 6 and Mars 7, were launched during the 1973 window. Mars 4 was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket, a Blok D
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Mars 5


a radio probe. Built by Lavochkin, Mars 5 was the second of two 3MS spacecraft launched to Mars in 1973, following Mars 4. A 3MS was also launched during the 1971 launch window as Kosmos 419. However, due to a launch failure, it failed to depart Earth orbit. In addition to the orbiters, two 3MP lander missions, Mars 6 and Mars 7, were launched during the 1973 window. Mars 5 was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket with a Blok D upper stage, flying from
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Shenzhou 1


Shenzhou 1 () launched on November 19, 1999, was the first unmanned launch of the Shenzhou spacecraft. The spacecraft used was not equipped with a life support system or an emergency escape system. After orbiting the Earth 14 times, the command for retrofire was sent by the "Yuanwang 3" tracking ship off the coast of Namibia at 18:49 UTC. After a successful reentry it landed about 415 km east of its launch pad and 110 km north-west of Wuhai, Inner Mongolia. The first Shenzhou spacecraft was different
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Progress M-25M


Progress M-25M (), identified by NASA as Progress 57 or 57P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station (ISS) during 2014. Progress M-25M was launched on a 6-hours rendezvous profile towards the ISS. The 25th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, it had the serial number 424 and was built by RKK Energia. The spacecraft was launched on 29 October 2014 at 07:09 GMT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. This was the first time the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a rocket was
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OPS 3762


OPS 3762, also known as FTV-2355, was an American reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1964. It was the first radar imaging satellite to be launched, and the only Quill spacecraft to fly. Its mission was to demonstrate radar imaging techniques for future missions. However, the programme was cancelled before any more satellites were launched. OPS 3762 was successfully launched aboard a Thrust Augmented Thor SLV-2A Agena-D carrier rocket, flying from Launch Complex 75-1-1 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch, which
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Soyuz TM-2


Soyuz TM-2 was the spacecraft used to launch a long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir, which was unmanned at the time. TM-2 was launched in February 1987, and it was first manned spaceflight of the Soyuz-TM spacecraft, and the second manned spaceflight to Mir (the first being Soyuz T-15). The crew of the long duration expedition, Mir EO-2, who were launched by TM-2 consisted of Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Laveykin. The spacecraft remained docked to Mir, functioning as a lifeboat for the
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Superbird-C2


companies dissolved. Thus, by the time of launch, Superbird-7 was a JSAT spacecraft. Superbird-7 was successfully launched along AMC-21 by an Ariane 5 ECA on August 14, 2008, at 20:44 UTC. It separated from the spacecraft at 21:09 UTC and less than an hour later, at 22:03 UTC, it had already spread its solar panels. After the successful launch, Superbird-7 was renamed as Superbird-C2. On October 17, 2008 MELCO announced that they had performed the final handover of the spacecraft to JSAT. They had
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Deep Impact (spacecraft)


integrated by Ball Aerospace & Technologies in Boulder, Colorado. Developing the software for the spacecraft took 18 months and the application code consisted of 20,000 lines and 19 different application threads. The total cost of developing the spacecraft and completing its mission reached . The probe was originally scheduled for launch on December 30, 2004, but NASA officials delayed its launch, in order to allow more time for testing the software. It was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on January 12, 2005 at 1:47 pm EST (1847 UTC) by a
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Progress M-19M


Progress M-19M (), identified by NASA as Progress 51 or 51P, is a Progress spacecraft used by Roskosmos to resupply the International Space Station during 2013. Progress M-19M was launched on a standard 2-day rendezvous profile towards the ISS. The 19th Progress-M 11F615A60 spacecraft to be launched, it had the serial number 419 and was built by RKK Energia. The spacecraft was launched on time at 10:12 UTC on 24 April 2013 by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
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DAVE (CP-7)


was launched into a high-inclination orbit as a secondary payload on the final flight of the Delta II launch vehicle as part of the ELaNa-18 ride-share mission with NASA's ICESat-2 primary payload. The launch occurred out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on September 15 at 6:02 AM local time. DAVE was deployed alongside three other CubeSat spacecraft: University of Central Florida's SurfSat, and two ELFIN spacecraft from University of California, Los Angeles. As of November 2018, the spacecraft is active and in good health.
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Advanced Gemini


proposal for a manned spacecraft for astronomical or solar observation. It would have used the larger reentry module which was also proposed for the Big Gemini spacecraft, and would have been launched on a Saturn IB. The enlarged reentry module was also considered for a spacecraft proposed at the same time, which would have been used to rescue the crews of manned spacecraft that were stranded in low Earth orbit. It would have launched atop a Titan IIIC, once in orbit it would have maneuvered by means of a Transtage integrated into the equipment
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Progress M-66


Progress M-66 (), identified by NASA as Progress 32 or 32P, was a Progress spacecraft used to resupply the International Space Station. It was the penultimate flight of the Progress-M 11F615A55 spacecraft, using the spacecraft with the serial number 366. Progress M-66 was launched at 05:49 GMT on 10 February 2009, by a Soyuz-U carrier rocket flying from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. This was the first time Site 31 had been used for a Progress launch since Progress M-15 in 1992. The spacecraft docked with
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Asteroid Redirect Mission


-site check-out of critical systems before the crew departs. Not only would the solar electric propulsion (SEP) technologies and designs be applied to future missions, but the ARRM spacecraft would be left in a stable orbit for reuse. The project has baselined any of multiple refueling capabilities; the asteroid-specific payload is at one end of the bus, for possible removal and replacement via future servicing, or as a separable spacecraft, leaving a qualified space tug in cislunar space. The robotic and crewed missions would demonstrate
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ASTRO (satellite)


, from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was contracted by the Space Test Program to launch the STPSat-1 spacecraft, and was named STP-1. It also deployed NEXTSat; as well as FalconSAT-3, CFESat and MidSTAR-1. The launch marked the first time United Launch Alliance had launched an Atlas V, the type having previously been operated by International Launch Services. ASTRO was a spacecraft, which was built by Boeing. It was operated in low Earth orbit. On 9 March 2007, it had
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NEXTSat


from Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was contracted by the Space Test Program to launch the STPSat-1 spacecraft, and was named STP-1. It also deployed ASTRO; as well as FalconSAT-3, CFESat and MidSTAR-1. The launch marked the first time United Launch Alliance had launched an Atlas V, the type having previously been operated by International Launch Services. NEXTSat is a spacecraft, which was built by Ball Aerospace around the RS-300 satellite bus. It was operated in low Earth orbit; on 9
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Gemini 9A


unknown reason, and the 40 second launch window opened and closed without launch. This earned Tom Stafford the title of "Mayor of Pad 19". The second launch attempt on June 3 went perfectly, with the spacecraft entering into orbit. With this launch, Stafford could say that he had been strapped into a spacecraft six times for only 2 launches. Launch vehicle performance was very close to nominal. Two small roll transients were evident at liftoff and pogo effects were the lowest yet recorded on a Gemini launch. Stafford made
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George Hairston


b. 21 Feb 1801, d. 16 Mar 1826; Marshall HAIRSTON+ b. 4 Jul 1802, d. 20 Jan 1882 and Ruth Stovall HAIRSTON+ b. 6 Sep 1804, d. 20 Sep 1838. Through his mother, George was the fourth-great-grandson of Christopher Newport and a distant cousin of Illiam Dhone and Fletcher Christian. He was the captain of a company of Col. Abram Penn that, in March 1781, hurried from Beaver Creek Plantation to the assistance of Gen. Nathanael Greene at the Battle of Guilford Court House near Greensboro
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Appeal of Conscience Foundation


Conscience Foundation Public Service Award Sep 23, 2008 Remarks by Deputy Secretary John D. Negroponte Deputy Secretary highlights honorees at the 2008 ACF Annual Awards Dinner Sep 23, 2008 Address by Nicolas Sarkozy President of the French Republic is recipient of the 2008 Appeal of Conscience World Statesman Award Sep 23, 2008 Address by Henry A. Kissinger Henry Kissinger gives address on behalf of Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic, at the ACF 2008 Annual Awards Dinner Sep 21, 2005 Foreign Minister Alexander Downer Acceptance of the World Statesman Award on behalf of
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Europa Clipper


September 2018. In addition, subsystem vendors will be selected, as well as prototype hardware elements for the science instruments. Spacecraft subassemblies will be built and tested as well. Phases C and D include final design, spacecraft fabrication, assembly and testing, and launch. On July 18, 2017, the House Space Subcommittee held hearings on the "Europa Clipper" as a scheduled Large Strategic Science Missions class, and to discuss a possible follow up mission simply known as the Europa Lander. The goals of "Europa Clipper"
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Luna 1


Luna 1, also known as Mechta ( , "lit.": "Dream"), E-1 No.4 and "First Lunar Rover ", was the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Earth's Moon, and the first spacecraft to be placed in heliocentric orbit. Intended as an impactor, "Luna 1" was launched as part of the Soviet Luna programme in 1959, however due to an incorrectly timed upper stage burn during its launch, it missed the Moon, in the process becoming the first spacecraft to
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Starlink (satellite constellation)


2019, SpaceX was transitioning their satellite efforts from R&D to manufacturing, with the planned first launch of a large batch of satellites to orbit, and the clear need to achieve an average launch rate of "44 high-performance, low-cost spacecraft built and launched every month for the next 60 months" to get the 2,200 satellites launched to support their FCC spectrum allocation license assignment. SpaceX has said they will meet the deadline of having half the constellation "in orbit within six years of authorization ... and the full system
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Space weather


CMEs), their associated shock waves and coronal clouds are also important drivers of space weather as they can compress the magnetosphere and trigger geomagnetic storms. Solar energetic particles (SEP) accelerated by coronal mass ejections or solar flares can trigger solar particle events (SPEs), a critical driver of human impact space weather as they can damage electronics onboard spacecraft (e.g. Galaxy 15 failure), and threaten the lives of astronauts as well as increase radiation hazards to high-altitude, high-latitude aviation. Some spacecraft failures can be
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SpaceX Mars transportation infrastructure


on-orbit propellant refill via "ITS tanker"—were to begin no earlier than 2022. At the time, the company was planning for launches of research spacecraft to Mars using Falcon Heavy launch vehicles and specialized modified Dragon spacecraft, called "Red Dragon". Due to planetary alignment in the inner Solar System, Mars launches are typically limited to a window of approximately every 26 months. As announced in June 2016, the first launch was planned for Spring 2018, with an announced intent to launch again in every Mars launch window thereafter
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