Astérix (satellite)
 Replica of Astérix at Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris Le Bourget | |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | CNES |
| Harvard designation | 1965-096A |
| SATCAT № | 1778 |
| Mission duration | 111 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 42.0 kilograms (92.6 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 26 November 1965, 09:52 UTC |
| Rocket | Diamant A |
| Launch site | Hammaguir Brigitte |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 28 November 1965 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Semi-major axis | 7,468.0 kilometres (4,640.4 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.08023 |
| Perigee | 527 kilometres (327 mi) |
| Apogee | 1,697 kilometres (1,054 mi) |
| Inclination | 34.30 degrees |
| Period | 107.5 minutes |
| Epoch | 1965 |
Astérix, the first French satellite, was launched on November 26, 1965 by a Diamant A rocket from Hammaguir, Algeria. With Astérix, France became the sixth country to have an artificial satellite in orbit after: USSR (Sputnik 1, 1957), the USA (Explorer 1, 1958), the United Kingdom (Ariel 1, 1962), Canada (Alouette 1, 1962) and Italy (San Marco 1, 1964), and the third to launch a satellite on its own (the UK, Canada and Italy's satellites were launched on American rockets). The satellite was originally designated A-1, as the French Army's first satellite, but later renamed after the popular French comics character Astérix. Due to the relatively high altitude of its orbit, it is not expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere for several centuries.
Data
- Weight: 42 kg
- Perigee: 527 km
- Apogee: 1697 km
- Inclination: 34.3 degrees
- Orbital period: 107.5 minutes and 5 seconds
See also
External links
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