The Day a Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Traveled Past Venus
Thirty-five years ago, NASA's Galileo spacecraft made a crucial flyby of Venus, pioneering a complex path through the inner solar system that would revolutionize planetary exploration
Launch Date
March 17, 2026
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC40
Launch Vehicle
NORAD ID
68251
International Designator
2026-054V
Epoch
Mon, 20 Jul 2026 06:21:17 GMT
Apogee
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Perigee
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Inclination
53.16°
Right Ascension
40.82°
Eccentricity
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Argument of Perigee
73.23°
Period
93.85 min
Mean Motion
15.34 rev/day
Latitude
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Longitude
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Altitude
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Velocity
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Name
STARLINK-36274
Alternative Name
N/A
Type
Status
Owner
SPXS
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 68251U 26054V 26201.26478464 .00011232 00000+0 34309-3 0 9991
2 68251 53.1608 40.8197 0001628 73.2253 286.8928 15.34398175 19295
Source: Celestrak
Length
0.3
Diameter
4.1
Span
29.0
Dry Mass
530
Launch Mass
575
Shape
Box + pan
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Starlink Group 10-46-20
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
SPXS
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Starlink V2MO
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
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Thirty-five years ago, NASA's Galileo spacecraft made a crucial flyby of Venus, pioneering a complex path through the inner solar system that would revolutionize planetary exploration
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On May 4, 1989, Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from LC-39B carrying Magellan, NASA's first interplanetary mission since 1978. The eleven-year drought ended in a payload bay, and the radar that emerged would map ninety-eight percent of Venus through clouds that no camera could ever see through.