United States Air ForceThor Delta E1Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Explorer 33
Launched
July 1, 1966
Image: NASA
Summary
Explorer 33 launched on an United States Air Force Thor Delta E1 from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on July 1, 1966. It was United States Air Force's 335th launch, 36th this year and humanity's 582nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Thor Delta E1 flight. The payload was bound for Lunar Orbit (LO). The tracked orbit of Explorer 33, one of 5 catalogued objects, from July 22, 1966, was 40,812 × 476,298 km inclined 7.5°. 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thor Delta E1 · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Astrophysics · Lunar Orbit (LO)
- Milestone
- 1st Thor Delta E1 flightUnited States Air Force's 335th launch36th this yearhumanity's 582nd orbital launch attempt65th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Explorer 33 · NORAD 2258 · 1966-058 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EXPLORER 33 (AIMP-D)
- Object ID
- 1966-058A
- Epoch
- 1966-07-22 16:31:23 UTC
- Mean motion
- 0.06366723 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.8219
- Inclination
- 7.5099°
- Ascending node
- 62.56°
- Arg. of perigee
- 93.84°
- Mean anomaly
- 193.34°
- 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: LO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
5 catalogued: 1 payload, 2 rocket stages, 2 components
- Explorer 33 · NORAD 2258 · left Earth orbit July 2, 1966
Delta 39 · re-entered November 17, 1966
Delta 39 Stage 3 · left Earth orbit July 2, 1966
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Satellite instrumented for studies of interplanetary plasma, energetic charged particles, magnetic fields, and solar X-rays at lunar distances.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
32nd launch from Space Launch Complex 17A, 2nd this year · 174th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
145 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
148 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Explorer 33 launch?
Explorer 33 launched on July 1, 1966. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Explorer 33?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Explorer 33?
Thor Delta E1, flown by United States Air Force. Thor Delta E1 spec sheet
Where did Explorer 33 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did Explorer 33 reach?
The tracked orbit of Explorer 33, one of 5 catalogued objects, from July 22, 1966, was 40,812 × 476,298 km inclined 7.5°.
How many satellites did Explorer 33 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).