Ariel 4

Last updated
Ariel 4
Ariel-4.jpg
Ariel 4.
NamesAriel4, UK 4
Mission typeIonospheric
Operator SERC / NASA
COSPAR ID 1971-109A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 5675
Mission duration1 year (design life) [1]
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer BAC
Launch mass99.5 kilograms (219 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date11 December 1971, 20:47:01 (1971-12-11UTC20:47:01Z) UTC
Rocket Scout B-1-F S183C
Launch site Vandenberg SLC-5
Contractor NASA
End of mission
Decay date12 December 1978
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Eccentricity 0.00795
Perigee altitude 473 kilometres (294 mi)
Apogee altitude 590 kilometres (370 mi)
Inclination 82.9 degrees
Period 95.26 minutes
Epoch 10 January 1972 [2]
  Ariel 3
Ariel 5  

Ariel 4, known pre-launch as UK 4, was a British ionospheric research satellite, which was operated by the Science and Engineering Research Council. It was launched 11 December 1971, aboard an American Scout rocket. Experiments were designed to meet one scientific objective, making it the first mission-oriented satellite for the UK. It was also the first satellite in the Ariel programme to contain an American experiment. Ariel 4 decayed from orbit on 12 December 1978

Contents

Design

Development

Ariel 4 leveraged both the design and hardware of Ariel 3 to reduce costs. Ariel 4 used pieces of its predecessor's flight backup unit and spare parts. The satellite cost about 1.25 million pounds. [3]

Operation

British Aircraft Corporation was the prime contractor. [4] Ariel 4 had a launch mass of 101 kilograms (223 lb). [3] It was the first satellite in the Ariel programme to be able to perform attitude maneuvers. [5]

Sensors

It was the first satellite of the Ariel programme to have a mission-orientated payload, where all of the experiments are designed to research one scientific objective. The scientific objective was to "...study the interaction between high energy charged particles and electromagnetic radiation in the upper ionsphere and magnetosphere. [6] Three of the five experiments on Ariel 3 were to determine a single scientific objective, so those three were improved for use on Ariel 4 and an additional experiment was added. [7]

Experiments accounted for 18.5 kilograms (41 lb) of the spacecraft's mass. [3]

It was also the first in the program to carry an American experiment. [6]

Mission

Launch

The launch of Ariel 4 occurred at 20:47:01 GMT on 11 December 1971, from Space Launch Complex 5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. [1] It was conducted by NASA, using a Scout B-1 rocket. [8]

Operations

Ariel 4 was placed into a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 473 kilometres (294 mi), an apogee of 590 kilometres (370 mi), 82.9 degrees of inclination and an orbital period of 95.3 minutes as of 10 January 1972. It decayed from orbit on 12 December 1978. [2]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "Ariel 4 General Information". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  2. 1 2 McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 Dalziel 1975, p. 163.
  4. Dalziel 1975, p. 165.
  5. Dalziel 1979, p. 413.
  6. 1 2 Dalziel 1975, p. 161.
  7. Dalziel 1975, p. 162.
  8. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 8 September 2009.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aryabhata (satellite)</span> Indias first satellite in space (1975–1981)

Aryabhata was India's first satellite, named after the astronomer. It was launched on 19 April 1975 from Kapustin Yar, a Soviet rocket launch and development site in Astrakhan Oblast using a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle. It was built by ISRO, and launched by the Soviet Union as a part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme which provided access to space for friendly states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel 3</span>

Ariel 3 was a satellite in the Ariel programme, a satellite partnership between the US and UK. Three of the onboard experiments continued research from the first two missions and two experiments were designed for new research topics. It was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 5 May 1967, making it the first satellite of the program to launch from the West coast. Ariel 3 was shut down in September 1969, and re-entered the Earth's atmosphere 14 December 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel 5</span>

Ariel 5 was a joint British and American space telescope dedicated to observing the sky in the X-ray band. It was launched on 15 October 1974 from the San Marco platform in the Indian Ocean and operated until 1980. It was the penultimate satellite to be launched as part of the Ariel programme.

Ariel was a British satellite research programme conducted between the early 1960s and 1980s. Six satellites were launched as part of the programme, starting with the first British satellite, Ariel 1, which was launched on 26 April 1962, and concluding with the launch of Ariel 6 on 2 June 1979. The launch of Ariel 1 made Britain the third country to have a satellite orbiting the Earth. The first four were devoted to studying the ionosphere, the remaining two to X-ray astronomy and cosmic-ray studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel VI</span>

Ariel VI, known pre-launch as UK-6, was a British and American satellite launched in 1979 as part of the Ariel programme. It was operated by the Science Research Council, which became the Science and Engineering Research Council in 1981. Ariel VI was used for astronomical research and provided data until February 1982. It was the last Ariel satellite to be launched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel 1</span> First British satellite

Ariel 1, was the first British-American satellite, and the first satellite in the Ariel programme. Its launch in 1962 made the United Kingdom the third country to operate a satellite, after the Soviet Union and the United States. It was constructed in the UK and the United States by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and SERC, under an agreement reached as the result of political discussions in 1959 and 1960. The US Starfish Prime exoatmospheric nuclear test affected Ariel 1's operational capability.

Kosmos 165, also known as DS-P1-Yu No.11 was a radar calibration target satellite which was used by the Soviet Union for tests of anti-ballistic missiles. It was a 400 kilograms (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme.

Kosmos 668, also known as DS-P1-Yu No.74, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1974 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.

Kosmos 686, also known as DS-P1-Yu No.72, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1974 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 400-kilogram (880 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used as a radar calibration target for anti-ballistic missile tests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ariel 2</span>

Ariel 2, also known as UK-C, was a British radio astronomy satellite, which was operated by the Science and Engineering Research Council as part of the Ariel programme. It was built in America by Westinghouse Electric, and had a mass at launch of 68 kilograms (150 lb). It was launched in 1964, and became the first satellite to be used for radio astronomy, although the Canadian satellite Alouette 1 was launched 1962 and also did similar radio astronomy observations.

Kosmos 93, also known as DS-U2-V No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 305 kilograms (672 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

Kosmos 95, also known as DS-U2-V No.2, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. The spacecraft weighed 325 kilograms (717 lb), and was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

Kosmos 197, also known as DS-U2-V No.3, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1967 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325 kilograms (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

Kosmos 202, also known as DS-U2-V No.4, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1968 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 325 kilograms (717 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Office, and was used to conduct classified technology development experiments for the Soviet armed forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosmos 97</span>

Kosmos 97, also known as DS-U2-M No.1, was a Soviet satellite which was launched in 1965 as part of the Dnepropetrovsk Sputnik programme. It was a 267 kilograms (589 lb) spacecraft, which was built by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau, and used to conduct tests involving atomic clocks.

OPS 3762, also known as FTV-2355, was an American reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1964. It was the first radar imaging satellite to be launched, and the only Quill spacecraft to fly. Its mission was to demonstrate radar imaging techniques for future missions. However, the programme was cancelled before any more satellites were launched.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus 1</span> American satellite

Pegasus 1 or I, known before launch as Pegasus A, was an American satellite which was launched in 1965 to study micrometeoroid impacts in low Earth orbit. It was the first of three Pegasus satellites to be launched. The Pegasus spacecraft were manufactured by Fairchild Hiller, and operated by NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus 2</span> American satellite

Pegasus 2 or Pegasus II, known before launch as Pegasus B was an American satellite which was launched in 1965 to study micrometeoroid impacts in Low Earth orbit. It was the second of three Pegasus satellites to be launched, following the launch of Pegasus 1 three months earlier. The Pegasus spacecraft were manufactured by Fairchild Hiller, and operated by NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus 3</span> American satellite

Pegasus 3 or III, also known as Pegasus C before launch, was an American satellite which was launched in 1965 to study micrometeoroid impacts in Low Earth orbit. It was the last of three Pegasus satellites to be launched, the previous two having been launched earlier the same year. It was manufactured by Fairchild Hiller, and operated by NASA.

Hermes was an American satellite which was to have been operated by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium. Intended to perform technology demonstration experiments in low Earth orbit, it was lost during launch in March 2011 when the rocket that was carrying it failed to achieve orbit.

References