The Day America Entered the Space Age
Sixty-seven years ago, a slender rocket carried America's first satellite into orbit, discovering a mysterious feature of our planet that would change our understanding of space forever
Launch Date
August 24, 1977
Launch Site
PLMSC
Launch Pad
LC132/1
Launch Vehicle
Kosmos 11K65M
NORAD ID
10288
International Designator
1977-079D
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 05:46:08 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
74.03°
Right Ascension
280.57°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
125.49°
Period
115.92 min
Mean Motion
12.42 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
COSMOS 942
Alternative Name
Kosmos-942
Type
Status
Owner
GUKOSR
Country
USSR
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 10288U 77079D 26185.24038192 .00000003 00000-0 13576-3 0 9998
2 10288 74.0260 280.5681 0044238 125.4918 262.2498 12.42259159198462
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
0.8
Diameter
0.8
Span
0.8
Dry Mass
60
Launch Mass
60
Shape
Poly
Radar Cross Section
0.6874
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Strela-1M Blok 17 No. 4
Purpose
Military Communication
Mission
Military Communication
Manufacturer
NPOPM
Life Expectancy
6 months
Bus
Strela-1 11F625
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Solar cells, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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