The Day Humanity First Touched an Asteroid
Twenty-four years ago, a spacecraft designed only to orbit made history with an improvised landing on asteroid Eros, marking humanitys first controlled touchdown on a small celestial body
Launch Date
May 10, 1999
Launch Site
TAISC
Launch Pad
LC7
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 4B
NORAD ID
37589
International Designator
1999-025EKH
Epoch
Sun, 28 Jun 2026 12:54:16 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
99.08°
Right Ascension
88.59°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
67.21°
Period
102.12 min
Mean Motion
14.10 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 37589U 99025EKH 26179.53768557 .00004588 00000-0 24586-2 0 9990
2 37589 99.0814 88.5937 0117462 67.2063 294.1466 14.10066361853703
Source: Celestrak
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.0081
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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Twenty-four years ago, a spacecraft designed only to orbit made history with an improvised landing on asteroid Eros, marking humanitys first controlled touchdown on a small celestial body
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