The Day NASA Chose Its First Space Pioneers
Sixty-four years ago, NASA made a decision that would shape the future of human spaceflight by selecting three astronauts to compete for America's first journey into space
Launch Date
May 23, 1969
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC41
Launch Vehicle
Titan IIIC
NORAD ID
03954
International Designator
1969-046D
Epoch
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 06:44:28 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
89.13°
Right Ascension
29.92°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
89.62°
Period
6692.57 min
Mean Motion
0.22 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
OPS 6909 (VELA 9)
Alternative Name
Vela V-A
Type
Status
Owner
SAMSO
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 03954U 69046D 26013.28088617 .00000046 00000+0 00000+0 0 9996
2 03954 89.1343 29.9242 7044937 89.6246 1.2250 00.21516406 12679
Source: Celestrak
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Length
1.3
Diameter
1.3
Span
1.3
Dry Mass
250
Launch Mass
250
Shape
Poly
Radar Cross Section
0.7568
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Vela 5A
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
TRW
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Vela
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
BE-3A7
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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Sixty-four years ago, NASA made a decision that would shape the future of human spaceflight by selecting three astronauts to compete for America's first journey into space
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