United States Air ForceAtlas SLV-3 Agena DLaunch Complex 12, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
OAO 1
Launched
April 8, 1966
Image: USAF
Summary
OAO 1 launched on an United States Air Force Atlas SLV-3 Agena D from Launch Complex 12, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on April 8, 1966. It was United States Air Force's 316th launch, 17th this year and humanity's 552nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 20th Atlas SLV-3 Agena D flight and the 5th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). The tracked orbit of OAO 1, one of 3 catalogued objects, from April 14, 1966, was 801 × 813 km inclined 35.0°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3 Agena D · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Planetary Science · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 20th Atlas SLV-3 Agena D flight · 5th this yearUnited States Air Force's 316th launch17th this yearhumanity's 552nd orbital launch attempt35th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
OAO 1 · NORAD 2142 · 1966-031 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- OAO 1
- Object ID
- 1966-031A
- Epoch
- 1966-04-14 23:02:36 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.27612262 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0008334
- Inclination
- 35.0479°
- Ascending node
- 327.1583°
- Arg. of perigee
- 169.6286°
- Mean anomaly
- 190.5043°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 88
- B*
- 0.00080285
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 1 debris; 2 still in orbit
- OAO 1 · NORAD 2142 · in orbit
Agena D 6703 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
OAO 1 (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 1) was a solar-cell-powered satellite instrumented to make precision astronomical observations and to measure the absorption and emission characteristics of the stars, planets, nebulae, and the interplanetary and interstellar media from visible to gamma-ray regions.
Pad
Launch Complex 12, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
18th launch from Launch Complex 12, 1st this year · 166th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
23 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
320 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did OAO 1 launch?
OAO 1 launched on April 8, 1966. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch OAO 1?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched OAO 1?
Atlas SLV-3 Agena D, flown by United States Air Force. Atlas SLV-3 Agena D spec sheet
Where did OAO 1 launch from?
Launch Complex 12, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did OAO 1 reach?
The tracked orbit of OAO 1, one of 3 catalogued objects, from April 14, 1966, was 801 × 813 km inclined 35.0°.
How many satellites did OAO 1 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).