Explorer S-66

Explorer S-66 (also called BE-A, acronym of Beacon Explorer-A), was a NASA satellite launched on 19 March 1964 by means of a Thor-Delta B launch vehicle, but it could not reach orbit due to a vehicle launcher failure.[1]

Explorer S-66
Explorer S-66 satellite
NamesBE-A
Beacon Explorer-A
NASA S-66
Mission typeIonospheric research
OperatorNASA
COSPAR IDEXS-66A
Mission durationFailed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer S-66
Spacecraft typeBeacon Explorer
BusTransit-Bus
ManufacturerJohns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Launch mass120 kg (260 lb)
Dimensions24.5 × 45.7 cm (9.6 × 18.0 in)
Power4 deployable solar arrays and batteries
Start of mission
Launch date19 March 1964, 11:13:41 GMT
RocketThor-Delta B
(Thor 391 / Delta 024)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17A
ContractorDouglas Aircraft Company
End of mission
DestroyedFailed to orbit
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit (planned)
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Instruments
Langmuir Probe
Laser Tracking
Radio Frequency Beacon
Explorer program
 

Spacecraft

Beacon Explorer-A was a small ionospheric research satellite instrumented with an electrostatic probe, a 20-, 40-, and 41-Hz ionospheric radio beacon, a passive laser tracking reflector, and a navigation experiment. Its primary objective was to obtain worldwide observations of total electron content between the spacecraft and the Earth. The spacecraft was an octagonal right prism 24.5 × 45.7 cm (9.6 × 18.0 in)-diameter terminated on top with a truncated octagonal pyramid on which the laser reflectors were mounted. Appended were four hinged paddles carrying solar cells. Each paddle was 167.6 × 25.4 cm (66.0 × 10.0 in).[1]

Launch

During the third stage operation, a malfunction of unidentified origin prevented successful orbit. Satellite and third stage descent were in the south Atlantic Ocean with no useful scientific data obtained.[1]

See also

References
  1. "Display: Beacon Explorer-A EXS-66A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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