| Mission type | Vehicle evaluation |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| COSPAR ID | 1979-104A |
| SATCAT no. | 11645 |
| Mission duration | 8 orbits |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 1,602 kilograms (3,532 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 24, 1979, 17:14:38 UTC |
| Rocket | Ariane 1 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-1 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 28 December 1979 |
| Decay date | 27 November 1989 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Geostationary transfer |
| Perigee altitude | 182 kilometres (113 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 35,824 kilometres (22,260 mi) |
| Inclination | 17.6 degrees |
| Period | 631.45 minutes |
| Epoch | 23 January 1980[1] |
CAT-1 (also Technological Capsule 1,[2] also Obélix[3]) was the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the European Space Agency on their own rocket, the Ariane 1. It was only intended to provide data on the launch characteristics of the new rocket and was only powered for 8 orbits.[4]
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 30 September 2013.
- ^ CAT-1, NSSDC, NASA
- ^ "N° 2994 - Rapport de M. Robert Lecou sur le projet de loi autorisant l'approbation de l'accord-cadre entre le Gouvernement de la République française et le Gouvernement de la République de l'Inde relatif à la coopération dans le domaine de l'utilisation de l'espace extra-atmosphérique à des fins pacifiques (n°2709)". www.assemblee-nationale.fr. Retrieved 1 May 2020..
- ^ Ariane 1 Archived 2013-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopedia Astronautica