The Day America Pioneered Polar Orbits
Sixty-six years ago, a Thor-Agena rocket thundered into the California sky carrying Discoverer 1, the first satellite attempt at polar orbit and the secret vanguard of Americas space reconnaissance program
Launch Date
May 10, 1999
Launch Site
TAISC
Launch Pad
LC7
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 4B
NORAD ID
30379
International Designator
1999-025ACS
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:27:33 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
98.75°
Right Ascension
198.68°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
66.41°
Period
102.26 min
Mean Motion
14.08 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
FENGYUN 1C DEB
Alternative Name
deb FY-1C
Type
Status
Owner
CASC
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 30379U 99025ACS 26185.01914179 .00000373 00000-0 24186-3 0 9998
2 30379 98.7480 198.6838 0037672 66.4139 320.2303 14.08238428996789
Source: Celestrak
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.0139
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Unknown
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
Unknown
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Unknown
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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Sixty-six years ago, a Thor-Agena rocket thundered into the California sky carrying Discoverer 1, the first satellite attempt at polar orbit and the secret vanguard of Americas space reconnaissance program
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