United States Air ForceAtlas SLV-3C CentaurLaunch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
OAO 2
Launched
December 7, 1968
Image: US Air Force
Summary
OAO 2 launched on an United States Air Force Atlas SLV-3C Centaur from Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on December 7, 1968. It was United States Air Force's 471st launch, 38th this year and humanity's 910th orbital launch attempt. It was the 5th Atlas SLV-3C Centaur flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). OAO 2, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 773 × 788 km orbit inclined 35.0°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3C Centaur · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Astrophysics · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 5th Atlas SLV-3C Centaur flight · 3rd this yearUnited States Air Force's 471st launch38th this yearhumanity's 910th orbital launch attempt122nd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
OAO 2 · NORAD 3597 · 1968-110 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- OAO 2
- Object ID
- 1968-110A
- Epoch
- 1968-12-07 13:31:20 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.35542914 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0010435
- Inclination
- 34.9632°
- Ascending node
- 73.5894°
- Arg. of perigee
- 263.7708°
- Mean anomaly
- 96.1724°
- 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: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 2 still in orbit
- OAO 2 · NORAD 3597 · in orbit
Centaur AC-16 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
OAO 2 (Orbiting Astronomical Observatory), also known as Stargazer, was one of a series of automated astronomical observatories that was ground controllable in orientation and was placed in a low-earth orbit.
Pad
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
7th launch from Launch Complex 36B, 1st this year · 226th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
76 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
396 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did OAO 2 launch?
OAO 2 launched on December 7, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch OAO 2?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched OAO 2?
Atlas SLV-3C Centaur, flown by United States Air Force. Atlas SLV-3C Centaur spec sheet
Where did OAO 2 launch from?
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did OAO 2 reach?
OAO 2, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 773 × 788 km orbit inclined 35.0°.
How many satellites did OAO 2 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).