 OV1-8 | |
| Mission type | Earth science |
|---|---|
| Operator | USAF |
| COSPAR ID | 1966-063A |
| SATCAT no. | S02324 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | General Dynamics |
| Launch mass | 10.4 kg (23 lb) with onboard rocket. |
| BOL mass | 3.2 kilograms (7.1 lb) |
| Dimensions | 9.1-meter (30 ft) sphere |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 14 July 1966 02:10:02 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas D |
| Launch site | Vandenberg 576-B-3[1] |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 4 January 1978 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Regime | Medium Earth Orbit |
| Eccentricity | 0.00102 |
| Perigee altitude | 998.00 km (620.13 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,013.00 km (629.45 mi) |
| Inclination | 144.200° |
| Period | 105.20 minutes[2] |
| Epoch | 14 July 1966 02:09:00 |
Orbiting Vehicle 1-8 (also known as OV1-8, OV1-8P,PasComSat,[3]: 419 and Gridsphere[4]), launched 14 July 1966, was the seventh satellite launched (fourth successfully) in the OV1 series of the United States Air Force's Orbiting Vehicle program. OV1-8 was designed to test the passive communications utility of an aluminum grid sphere versus a balloon satellite (e.g. NASA's Project Echo).
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "OV1-8". NASA. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Powell, Joel W.; Richards, G.R. (1987). "The Orbiting Vehicle Series of Satellites". Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. Vol. 40. London: British Interplanetary Society.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "PasComSat (OV1 8)". Retrieved 25 June 2021.