Explorer S-66
Explorer S-66 satellite
NamesBE-A
Beacon Explorer-A
NASA S-66
Mission typeIonospheric research
OperatorNASA
COSPAR IDEXS-66A
Mission durationFailed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftExplorer S-66
Spacecraft typeBeacon Explorer
BusTransit-Bus
ManufacturerJohns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory
Launch mass120 kg (260 lb)
Dimensions24.5 × 45.7 cm (9.6 × 18.0 in)
Power4 deployable solar arrays and batteries
Start of mission
Launch date19 March 1964, 11:13:41 GMT
RocketThor-Delta B
(Thor 391 / Delta 024)
Launch siteCape Canaveral, LC-17A
ContractorDouglas Aircraft Company
End of mission
DestroyedFailed to orbit
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit (planned)
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Instruments
Langmuir Probe
Laser Tracking
Radio Frequency Beacon
Explorer program
 

Explorer S-66 (also called BE-A, acronym of Beacon Explorer-A), was a NASA satellite launched on 19 March 1964 by means of a Thor-Delta B launch vehicle, but it could not reach orbit due to a vehicle launcher failure.[1]

Spacecraft

Beacon Explorer-A was a small ionospheric research satellite instrumented with an electrostatic probe, a 20-, 40-, and 41-Hz ionospheric radio beacon, a passive laser tracking reflector, and a navigation experiment. Its primary objective was to obtain worldwide observations of total electron content between the spacecraft and the Earth. The spacecraft was an octagonal right prism 24.5 × 45.7 cm (9.6 × 18.0 in)-diameter terminated on top with a truncated octagonal pyramid on which the laser reflectors were mounted. Appended were four hinged paddles carrying solar cells. Each paddle was 167.6 × 25.4 cm (66.0 × 10.0 in).[1]

Launch

During the third stage operation, a malfunction of unidentified origin prevented successful orbit. Satellite and third stage descent were in the south Atlantic Ocean with no useful scientific data obtained.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Display: Beacon Explorer-A EXS-66A". NASA. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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