Explorer S-66 (also called BE-A, acronym of Beacon Explorer-A), was a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
satellite launched on 19 March 1964 by means of a
Thor-Delta B launch vehicle
A launch vehicle or carrier rocket is a rocket designed to carry a payload (spacecraft or satellites) from the Earth's surface to outer space. Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, launch pads, supported by a missile launch contro ...
, but it could not reach orbit due to a vehicle launcher failure.
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 -diameter terminated on top with a truncated octagonal pyramid on which the laser reflectors were mounted. Appended were four hinged paddles carrying
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. s. Each paddle was .
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.
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See also
*
Explorer program
References
{{Orbital launches in 1964
Satellite launch failures
1964 in spaceflight