 Cutaway view of the Explorer 22 spacecraft | |
| Names | BE-B Beacon Explorer-B NASA S-66B |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Ionospheric research |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1964-064A |
| SATCAT no. | 00899 |
| Mission duration | 5 years, 4 months (achieved) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Explorer XXII |
| Bus | Beacon Explorer |
| Manufacturer | Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 52.6 kg (116 lb) |
| Dimensions | 24.5 × 45.7 cm (9.6 × 18.0 in) |
| Power | 4 deployable solar arrays and batteries |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 October 1964, 03:01 GMT[1] |
| Rocket | Scout X-4 (S-123R) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, PALC-D[2] |
| Contractor | Vought |
| Entered service | 10 October 1964 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | February 1970 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 889 km (552 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,081 km (672 mi) |
| Inclination | 79.70° |
| Period | 104.80 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Langmuir Probes Laser Tracking Reflector Radio Doppler System Radio Frequency Beacon | |
Explorer program | |
Explorer 22 (known as S-66B pre-launch; also called BE-B or Beacon Explorer-B) was a small NASA ionospheric research satellite launched 9 October 1964, part of NASA's Explorer Program. It was instrumented with an electrostatic probe, four radio beacons for ionospheric research, a passive laser tracking reflector, and two radio beacons for Doppler navigation experiments. Its objective was to provide enhanced geodetic measurements of the Earth as well as data on the total electron content in the Earth's atmosphere and in the satellite's immediate vicinity.
- ^ "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 21 July 2021. Archived from the original on 14 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Letter dated 22 December 1964 from the Permanent Representative of the United States of America addressed to the Secretary-General" (PDF). UNOOSA. 30 December 1964. Retrieved 5 December 2022.