United States Air ForceDelta II 7425-9.5Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Contour
Launched
July 3, 2002
Image: NASA
Summary
Contour launched on an United States Air Force Delta II 7425-9.5 from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on July 3, 2002. It was United States Air Force's 1,044th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 4,545th orbital launch attempt. It was the 3rd Delta II 7425-9.5 flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Contour, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 98 × 106,941 km orbit inclined 30.5°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Delta II 7425-9.5 · United States Air ForceDiscovery Program
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Heliophysics · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 3rd Delta II 7425-9.5 flight · 1st this yearUnited States Air Force's 1,044th launch5th this yearhumanity's 4,545th orbital launch attempt34th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Contour · NORAD 27457 · 2002-034 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- CONTOUR
- Object ID
- 2002-034A
- Epoch
- 2002-07-03 07:52:54 UTC
- Mean motion
- 0.59233334 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.8919799
- Inclination
- 30.4978°
- Ascending node
- 193.4049°
- Arg. of perigee
- 336.1029°
- Mean anomaly
- 0.4069°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.000062535
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 2 rocket stages
- Contour · NORAD 27457 · left Earth orbit August 15, 2002
Delta 292 · re-entered July 6, 2002
Delta 292 Stage 3 · re-entered October 15, 2003
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The CONTOUR (Comet Nucleus Tour) probe, built and operated by the Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), began its five year mission to explore three comets, using repeated encounters with the earth to modify its orbit in order to reach each target.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
131st launch from Space Launch Complex 17A, 1st this year · 600th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
145 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
328 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Contour launch?
Contour launched on July 3, 2002. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Contour?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Contour?
Delta II 7425-9.5, flown by United States Air Force. Delta II 7425-9.5 spec sheet
Where did Contour launch from?
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did Contour reach?
Contour, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 98 × 106,941 km orbit inclined 30.5°.
How many satellites did Contour launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is Contour part of?
Discovery Program. About Discovery Program