Mission type | Weather satellite |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1963-054A |
SATCAT no. | 716 |
Mission duration | 3 years, 6 months, 9 days (achieved) 60 years, 11 months, 1 day (in orbit) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | TIROS |
Manufacturer | RCA / GSFC |
Launch mass | 265 kilograms (584 lb)[1] |
Dimensions | 1.07 m × 0.56 m (3.5 ft × 1.8 ft) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | December 21, 1963, 09:30[2] | UTC
Rocket | Thor-Delta B 371/D-22 |
Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-17B |
End of mission | |
Last contact | July 1, 1967 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Eccentricity | 0.005203[1] |
Perigee altitude | 691 kilometers (429 mi)[1] |
Apogee altitude | 765 kilometers (475 mi)[1] |
Inclination | 58.48°[1] |
Period | 99.3 minutes[1] |
Epoch | December 21, 1963[1] |
Instruments | |
Automatic Camera System Television Camera System | |
TIROS-8 (also called TIROS-H or A-53) was a spin-stabilized meteorological satellite. It was the eighth in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.