Names | NOAA-D | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mission type | Weather | ||||||||||
Operator | NOAA | ||||||||||
COSPAR ID | 1991-032A | ||||||||||
SATCAT no. | 21263 | ||||||||||
Mission duration | 2 years (planned) 16 years (achieved) | ||||||||||
Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||
Spacecraft | TIROS | ||||||||||
Bus | TIROS-N[1] | ||||||||||
Manufacturer | RCA Astro Electronics | ||||||||||
Launch mass | 1,418 kg (3,126 lb) [2] | ||||||||||
Dry mass | 735 kg (1,620 lb) | ||||||||||
Dimensions | Spacecraft: 3.71 m × 1.88 m (12.2 ft × 6.2 ft) Solar array: 2.37 m × 4.91 m (7 ft 9 in × 16 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||
Start of mission | |||||||||||
Launch date | 14 May 1991, 15:52:03 UTC[3] | ||||||||||
Rocket | Atlas-E Star-37S-ISS (Atlas S/N 50E) | ||||||||||
Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3W | ||||||||||
Contractor | Convair | ||||||||||
End of mission | |||||||||||
Disposal | Decommissioned | ||||||||||
Last contact | 10 August 2007 [4] | ||||||||||
Orbital parameters | |||||||||||
Reference system | Geocentric orbit[5] | ||||||||||
Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit | ||||||||||
Perigee altitude | 821 km (510 mi) | ||||||||||
Apogee altitude | 841 km (523 mi) | ||||||||||
Inclination | 98.70° | ||||||||||
Period | 101.3 minutes | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
NOAA-12, also known as NOAA-D before launch, was an American weather satellite operated by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an operational meteorological satellite for use in the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS). 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.[6]
WMO
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Trajectory
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).