National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationScout BSpace Launch Complex 5, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Explorer 39
Launched
August 8, 1968
Image: NASA
Summary
Explorer 39 launched on a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scout B from Space Launch Complex 5, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on August 8, 1968. It was National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 94th launch, 4th this year and humanity's 863rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 13th Scout B flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical). Explorer 39, one of 13 catalogued objects, reached a 701 × 2,518 km orbit inclined 80.7°. 13 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)
- Milestone
- 13th Scout B flight · 3rd this yearNational Aeronautics and Space Administration's 94th launch4th this yearhumanity's 863rd orbital launch attempt75th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Explorer 39 · NORAD 3337 · 1968-066 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 13 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EXPLORER 39 (ADI-3)
- Object ID
- 1968-066A
- Epoch
- 1968-08-09 01:23:13 UTC
- Mean motion
- 12.17716058 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.1137981
- Inclination
- 80.6766°
- Ascending node
- 327.1018°
- Arg. of perigee
- 172.6018°
- Mean anomaly
- 189.356°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 3
- 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
13 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 8 debris, 2 components; 5 still in orbit
- Explorer 39 · NORAD 3337 · re-entered June 22, 1981
- Explorer 40 · NORAD 3338 · in orbit
Scout S165C Stage 4 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Explorer 39 was an inflatable sphere, 3.6 m in diameter. It was orbited to make atmospheric density determinations.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 5, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
34th launch from Space Launch Complex 5, 3rd this year · 305th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
69 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
83 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Explorer 39 launch?
Explorer 39 launched on August 8, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Explorer 39?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Explorer 39?
Scout B, flown by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Scout B spec sheet
Where did Explorer 39 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 5, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did Explorer 39 reach?
Explorer 39, one of 13 catalogued objects, reached a 701 × 2,518 km orbit inclined 80.7°.
How many satellites did Explorer 39 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 1 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).