United States Air ForceThor Delta CSpace Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
ESSA 1
Launched
February 3, 1966
Image: NASA
Summary
ESSA 1 launched on an United States Air Force Thor Delta C from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on February 3, 1966. It was United States Air Force's 304th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 526th orbital launch attempt. It was the 9th Thor Delta C flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). ESSA 1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 714 × 872 km orbit inclined 97.8°. 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thor Delta C · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 9th Thor Delta C flight · 1st this yearUnited States Air Force's 304th launch5th this yearhumanity's 526th orbital launch attempt9th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
ESSA 1 · NORAD 1982 · 1966-008 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ESSA 1 (OT-3)
- Object ID
- 1966-008A
- Epoch
- 1966-02-03 15:26:27 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.31822492 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0109988
- Inclination
- 97.7678°
- Ascending node
- 348.7447°
- Arg. of perigee
- 215.8824°
- Mean anomaly
- 143.4498°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 5
- B*
- 0
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
5 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 3 components; 4 still in orbit
- ESSA 1 · NORAD 1982 · in orbit
Delta 36 Stage 3 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The ESSA series was the second generation of US meterological satellites after the TIROS (Television & Infra-Red Observation Satellite) series. They were also called OT (Operational TIROS), TOS (TIROS Operational Satellite).
Pad
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
31st launch from Space Launch Complex 17A, 1st this year · 160th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
145 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
49 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did ESSA 1 launch?
ESSA 1 launched on February 3, 1966. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch ESSA 1?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched ESSA 1?
Thor Delta C, flown by United States Air Force. Thor Delta C spec sheet
Where did ESSA 1 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did ESSA 1 reach?
ESSA 1, one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 714 × 872 km orbit inclined 97.8°.
How many satellites did ESSA 1 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).