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
October 17, 2025
Launch Site
TSC
Launch Pad
LC9A
Launch Vehicle
Chang Zheng 6A
NORAD ID
66037
International Designator
2025-233E
Epoch
Sun, 19 Jul 2026 12:15:41 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
89.00°
Right Ascension
39.39°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
93.48°
Period
106.59 min
Mean Motion
13.51 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
QIANFAN-95
Alternative Name
N/A
Type
Status
Owner
YUANX
Country
China
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 66037U 25233E 26200.51089392 .00000033 00000+0 33206-4 0 9997
2 66037 88.9985 39.3905 0002231 93.4766 266.6641 13.51016870 37848
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
0.3
Diameter
3.0
Span
10.0
Dry Mass
267
Launch Mass
267
Shape
Box+pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Qianfan Jigui 18-05
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
SECM
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Qianfan
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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