United States Air ForceThor Delta JSpace Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
RAE 1
Launched
July 4, 1968
Image: NASA
Summary
RAE 1 launched on an United States Air Force Thor Delta J from Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on July 4, 1968. It was United States Air Force's 451st launch, 18th this year and humanity's 851st orbital launch attempt. It was the 1st Thor Delta J flight. The payload was bound for Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). RAE 1, one of 20 catalogued objects, reached a 648 × 5,870 km orbit inclined 120.6°. 20 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thor Delta J · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Astrophysics · Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
- Milestone
- 1st Thor Delta J flightUnited States Air Force's 451st launch18th this yearhumanity's 851st orbital launch attempt63rd orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
RAE 1 · NORAD 3307 · 1968-055 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 20 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- EXPLORER 38 (RAE-A)
- Object ID
- 1968-055A
- Epoch
- 1968-07-06 15:35:11 UTC
- Mean motion
- 9.18672633 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.2711477
- Inclination
- 120.6445°
- Ascending node
- 223.6282°
- Arg. of perigee
- 161.6498°
- Mean anomaly
- 210.5178°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 18
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: MEO.
Catalogued objects
20 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 15 debris, 3 components; 19 still in orbit
- RAE 1 · NORAD 3307 · in orbit
Delta 57 Stage 3 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
The RAE A (Radio Astronomy Explorer A) spacecraft measured the intensity of celestial radio sources, particularly the sun, as a function of time, direction, and frequency (0.2 to 20 MHz).
Pad
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
36th launch from Space Launch Complex 2E, 3rd this year · 301st from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
47 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
47 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did RAE 1 launch?
RAE 1 launched on July 4, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch RAE 1?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched RAE 1?
Thor Delta J, flown by United States Air Force. Thor Delta J spec sheet
Where did RAE 1 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did RAE 1 reach?
RAE 1, one of 20 catalogued objects, reached a 648 × 5,870 km orbit inclined 120.6°.
How many satellites did RAE 1 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).