Explorer 10

Explorer 10
Explorer 10 satellite
NamesP-14
Explorer X
Mission typeSpace plasma physics
OperatorNASA
Harvard designation1961 Kappa 1
COSPAR ID1961-010A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.00098
Mission duration52 hours (achieved)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer X
BusP-14
ManufacturerGoddard Space Flight Center
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Launch mass35 kg (77 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date25 March 1961, 15:17:04 GMT[1]
RocketThor DM-19 Delta (Thor 295)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17A
ContractorDouglas Aircraft Company
Entered service25 March 1961
End of mission
Last contact27 March 1961
Decay date30 June 1968
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit[2]
RegimeHighly elliptical orbit
Perigee altitude221 km (137 mi)
Apogee altitude180,100 km (111,900 mi)
Inclination33.0°
Period83.50 hours
Instruments
Faraday Cup Plasma Probe
Rb-Vapor and Fluxgate Magnetometers
Sun-Moon-Earth Aspect Sensor (Spacecraft)
Explorer program
Explorer 10 inspection
Thor Delta with Explorer 10 (Mar. 25, 1961)

Explorer 10 (also known as Explorer X or P14) was a NASA satellite that investigated Earth's magnetic field and nearby plasma. Launched on 25 March 1961, it was an early mission in the Explorer program and was the first satellite to measure the "shock wave" generated by a solar flare.[3]

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan (21 July 2021). "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  2. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  3. ^ "Display: Explorer 10 (P-14)". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.