United States Air ForceDelta 1900Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
AE-C
Launched
December 16, 1973
Image: NASA
Summary
AE-C launched on an United States Air Force Delta 1900 from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on December 16, 1973. It was United States Air Force's 612th launch, 21st this year and humanity's 1,530th orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Delta 1900 flight. The payload was bound for Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical). AE-C, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 162 × 4,313 km orbit inclined 68.1°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Delta 1900 · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)
- Milestone
- 1st Delta 1900 flightUnited States Air Force's 612th launch21st this yearhumanity's 1,530th orbital launch attempt108th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
AE-C · NORAD 6977 · 1973-101 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EXPLORER 51 (AE-C)
- Object ID
- 1973-101A
- Epoch
- 1973-12-16 09:55:21 UTC
- Mean motion
- 10.86992264 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.2411347
- Inclination
- 68.1158°
- Ascending node
- 254.4642°
- Arg. of perigee
- 166.3964°
- Mean anomaly
- 201.5979°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Elliptical. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; none still in orbit
- AE-C · NORAD 6977 · re-entered December 12, 1978
Delta 99 · re-entered August 14, 1974
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Scientific satellite dedicated to photochemical processes in the Earth's atmosphere
Pad
Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
30th launch from Space Launch Complex 2W, 3rd this year · 408th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
99 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
39 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did AE-C launch?
AE-C launched on December 16, 1973. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch AE-C?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched AE-C?
Delta 1900, flown by United States Air Force. Delta 1900 spec sheet
Where did AE-C launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did AE-C reach?
AE-C, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 162 × 4,313 km orbit inclined 68.1°.
How many satellites did AE-C launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).