Space Brief 30 Dec 2025
Today's briefing covers Rocket Lab's plans following a record-breaking year, efforts to recover NASA's MAVEN orbiter, and the potential relocation of space shuttle Discovery.
Launch Date
February 17, 1971
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
SLC10W
Launch Vehicle
Thor Burner 2
NORAD ID
04953
International Designator
1971-012A
Epoch
Sat, 04 Jul 2026 01:27:17 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
98.48°
Right Ascension
54.60°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
18.17°
Period
99.85 min
Mean Motion
14.42 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
OPS 5268 (DMSP 5A F3)
Alternative Name
DAPP 3526
Type
Status
Owner
SAMSO
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 04953U 71012A 26185.06061809 .00000293 00000-0 10169-3 0 9998
2 04953 98.4801 54.5964 0037722 18.1714 342.0814 14.42182902901217
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
1.2
Diameter
0.8
Span
1.2
Dry Mass
104
Launch Mass
104
Shape
Taper Cyl
Radar Cross Section
0.831
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
DMSP Block 5A F-3
Purpose
Meteorology
Mission
Meteorology
Manufacturer
RCA
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
DMSP Block 5A
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
?
Equipment
?
Power System
Solar cells, batteries
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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