United States Air ForceThor SLV-2A Agena BSpace Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nimbus 2
Launched
May 15, 1966
Image: Unknown
Summary
Nimbus 2 launched on an United States Air Force Thor SLV-2A Agena B from Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on May 15, 1966. It was United States Air Force's 321st launch, 22nd this year and humanity's 562nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 2nd Thor SLV-2A Agena B flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Polar Orbit (PO). Nimbus 2, one of 79 catalogued objects, reached a 1,107 × 1,187 km orbit inclined 100.4°. 79 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thor SLV-2A Agena B · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Polar Orbit (PO)
- Milestone
- 2nd Thor SLV-2A Agena B flight · 1st this yearUnited States Air Force's 321st launch22nd this yearhumanity's 562nd orbital launch attempt45th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Nimbus 2 · NORAD 2173 · 1966-040 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 79 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- NIMBUS 2
- Object ID
- 1966-040A
- Epoch
- 1966-05-16 01:12:12 UTC
- Mean motion
- 13.31861173 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0053456
- Inclination
- 100.3516°
- Ascending node
- 45.4405°
- Arg. of perigee
- 338.6503°
- Mean anomaly
- 21.2219°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 10
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: PO.
Catalogued objects
79 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 77 debris; 79 still in orbit
- Nimbus 2 · NORAD 2173 · in orbit
Agena B 6202 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Nimbus 2, the second in a series of second-generation meteorological research-and-development satellites, added an additional medium-resolution infrared radiometer (MRIR) compared to Nimbus 1.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
26th launch from Space Launch Complex 2E, 1st this year · 216th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
47 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
167 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Nimbus 2 launch?
Nimbus 2 launched on May 15, 1966. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Nimbus 2?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Nimbus 2?
Thor SLV-2A Agena B, flown by United States Air Force. Thor SLV-2A Agena B spec sheet
Where did Nimbus 2 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did Nimbus 2 reach?
Nimbus 2, one of 79 catalogued objects, reached a 1,107 × 1,187 km orbit inclined 100.4°.
How many satellites did Nimbus 2 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).