United States Air ForceThor Delta NSpace Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
ESSA 8
Launched
December 15, 1968
Image: NASA
Summary
ESSA 8 launched on an United States Air Force Thor Delta N from Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on December 15, 1968. It was United States Air Force's 473rd launch, 40th this year and humanity's 914th orbital launch attempt. It was the 2nd Thor Delta N flight. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). ESSA 8, one of 21 catalogued objects, reached a 1,440 × 1,469 km orbit inclined 101.9°. 21 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thor Delta N · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 2nd Thor Delta N flightUnited States Air Force's 473rd launch40th this yearhumanity's 914th orbital launch attempt126th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
ESSA 8 · NORAD 3615 · 1968-114 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 21 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ESSA 8 (TOS-F)
- Object ID
- 1968-114A
- Epoch
- 1968-12-15 18:26:27 UTC
- Mean motion
- 12.54040434 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0018356
- Inclination
- 101.9025°
- Ascending node
- 37.1187°
- Arg. of perigee
- 251.8648°
- Mean anomaly
- 108.0433°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- 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
21 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 17 debris, 2 components; 20 still in orbit
- ESSA 8 · NORAD 3615 · in orbit
Delta 62 · broke up November 15, 1973
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 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
38th launch from Space Launch Complex 2E, 5th this year · 317th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
47 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
121 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did ESSA 8 launch?
ESSA 8 launched on December 15, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch ESSA 8?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched ESSA 8?
Thor Delta N, flown by United States Air Force. Thor Delta N spec sheet
Where did ESSA 8 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did ESSA 8 reach?
ESSA 8, one of 21 catalogued objects, reached a 1,440 × 1,469 km orbit inclined 101.9°.
How many satellites did ESSA 8 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).