Names | NOAA-B | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mission type | Weather | ||||||||||
Operator | NOAA | ||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 1980-043A | ||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 11819 | ||||||||||
Mission duration | 2 years (planned) 339 days (achieved) | ||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
Spacecraft type | TIROS | ||||||||||
Bus | TIROS-N[1] | ||||||||||
Manufacturer | RCA Astro Electronics[2] | ||||||||||
Launch mass | 1,418 kg (3,126 lb) [3] | ||||||||||
Dry mass | 735 kg (1,620 lb) | ||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||
Launch date | 29 May 1980, 10:53:00 UTC[4] | ||||||||||
Rocket | Atlas F-Star-37S-ISS (Atlas S/N 19F) [2] | ||||||||||
Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3W | ||||||||||
Contractor | Convair | ||||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||||
Disposal | Orbital decay | ||||||||||
Decay date | 3 May 1981 [4] | ||||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric orbit[4] | ||||||||||
Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit | ||||||||||
Perigee altitude | 273 km (170 mi) | ||||||||||
Apogee altitude | 1,453 km (903 mi) | ||||||||||
Inclination | 92.3° | ||||||||||
Period | 102.2 minutes | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
NOAA B was an American operational weather satellite for use in the National Operational Environmental Satellite System (NOESS) and for the support of the Global Atmospheric Research Program (GARP) during 1978-1984. The satellite design provided an economical and stable Sun-synchronous platform for advanced operational instruments to measure the atmosphere of Earth, its surface and cloud cover, and the near-space environment.[5]