NASA Awards Private Mars Orbiter Contract for 2028 | KeepTrack X Report
A California firm wins NASA's Aeolus Mars orbiter contract, targeting 2028 launch for the first daily global Martian environment measurements.
Launch Date
April 3, 1965
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
PALC2-4
Launch Vehicle
Atlas SLV-3 Agena D
NORAD ID
38418
International Designator
1965-027DX
Epoch
Thu, 02 Jul 2026 23:08:27 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
90.24°
Right Ascension
9.11°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
170.10°
Period
110.68 min
Mean Motion
13.01 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
OPS 4682 DEB
Alternative Name
deb SNAPSHOT
Type
Status
Owner
AFSD
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 38418U 65027DX 26183.96420770 .00001058 00000-0 34343-2 0 9992
2 38418 90.2385 9.1107 0029374 170.0990 190.0717 13.01000153553600
Source: Celestrak
Length
0
Diameter
0
Span
0
Dry Mass
0
Launch Mass
0
Shape
N/A
Radar Cross Section
0.0077
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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A California firm wins NASA's Aeolus Mars orbiter contract, targeting 2028 launch for the first daily global Martian environment measurements.
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On 16 June 1963, a 26-year-old former textile worker named Valentina Tereshkova launched aboard Vostok 6 and spent nearly three days alone in orbit. She flew 48 times around the Earth, longer than every American astronaut combined, and spotted a dangerous flaw in her descent program that ground controllers had missed.