United States Air ForceThor Delta CSpace Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Explorer 26
Launched
December 21, 1964
Image: NASA
Summary
Explorer 26 launched on an United States Air Force Thor Delta C from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on December 21, 1964. It was United States Air Force's 230th launch, 55th this year and humanity's 392nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 3rd Thor Delta C flight and the 2nd this year. The payload was bound for Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical). Explorer 26, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 319 × 26,286 km orbit inclined 20.1°. 2 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 · Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)
- Milestone
- 3rd Thor Delta C flight · 2nd this yearUnited States Air Force's 230th launch55th this yearhumanity's 392nd orbital launch attempt99th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Explorer 26 · NORAD 963 · 1964-086 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EXPLORER 26 (EPE-D)
- Object ID
- 1964-086A
- Epoch
- 1964-12-21 15:55:22 UTC
- Mean motion
- 3.14619626 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.6599389
- Inclination
- 20.1463°
- Ascending node
- 55.1454°
- Arg. of perigee
- 121.5558°
- Mean anomaly
- 319.0238°
- 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: Elliptical. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; none still in orbit
- Explorer 26 · NORAD 963 · re-entered August 25, 2021
Delta 27 Stage 3 · re-entered May 7, 1982
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Explorer 26 was a spin-stabilized, solar-cell-powered spacecraft instrumented to measure cosmic-ray particles, trapped particles, solar wind protons, and magnetospheric and interplanetary magnetic fields.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
26th launch from Space Launch Complex 17A, 4th this year · 126th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
145 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
78 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Explorer 26 launch?
Explorer 26 launched on December 21, 1964. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Explorer 26?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Explorer 26?
Thor Delta C, flown by United States Air Force. Thor Delta C spec sheet
Where did Explorer 26 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did Explorer 26 reach?
Explorer 26, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 319 × 26,286 km orbit inclined 20.1°.
How many satellites did Explorer 26 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).