Mission type | Amateur Radio Satellite |
---|---|
Operator | AMSAT |
COSPAR ID | 1978-026B[1] |
SATCAT no. | 10703 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Launch mass | 27.2 kilograms (60 lb) |
Dimensions | 38 cm × 38 cm × 33 cm (15 in × 15 in × 13 in) |
Power | 15 W |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 5 March 1978, 17:54 UTC |
Rocket | Delta-2910 139 |
Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
End of mission | |
Last contact | 24 June 1983 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Semi-major axis | 7,274.0 km (4,519.9 mi) |
Perigee altitude | 899.1 km (558.7 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 907.8 km (564.1 mi) |
Inclination | 99.0291° |
Period | 102.9 minutes |
Epoch | 6 February 2020[2] |
OSCAR 8 (also called AO-08, Phase 2D or Amsat P2D) is an American amateur radio satellite. It was developed and built by radio amateurs of the AMSAT and launched on March 5, 1978 as a secondary payload together with the Earth observation satellite Landsat 3 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, United States.
The satellite had two linear transponders, from the 2-meter band (uplink) to the 10-meter band and the 70-centimeter band (downlink).