Ariel 6, known pre-launch as UK-6, was a British and American satellite launched in 1979 as part of the Ariel programme. It was operated by the Science Research Council, which became the Science and Engineering Research Council in 1981. Ariel 6 was used for astronomical research and provided data until February 1982. It was the last Ariel satellite to be launched.[2]
![]() UK-6 before launch | |
Mission type | Astronomy |
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Operator |
|
COSPAR ID | 1979-047A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 11382 |
Mission duration | 2.5 years |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Marconi Company (UK) |
Launch mass | 154.5 kilograms (341 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 2 June 1979, 23:26:00 (1979-06-02UTC23:26Z) UTC |
Rocket | Scout D-1 (SN S198C) |
Launch site | Wallops Flight Center, LA-3A |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | February 1982 (1982-03) |
Decay date | 23 September 1990 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Eccentricity | 0.00328 |
Perigee altitude | 605 kilometres (376 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 651 kilometres (405 mi) |
Inclination | 55.0° |
Period | 97.3 minutes |
Epoch | 1 July 1979[1] |
Ariel |
The spacecraft was manufactured by the Marconi Company,[3] and had a mass of 154.5 kilograms (341 lb).[2]
The primary experiment, the cosmic ray detector, could sense heavy cosmic rays with an atomic number over 30. The 480-millimetre (19 in) diameter acrylic-lined aluminum sphere was filled with a gaseous oxygen, nitrogen, and helium mixture. Heavy cosmic rays penetrated the sphere and excited the gas to produce scintillation light; the acrylic produced Cerenkov radiation. These ultraviolet emissions were detected with 16 photo-multipliers. Data processing to separate the two different types of ultraviolet emissions was performed by comparing the brightness and duration of the emissions. The amplitude of the signal was used to determine the atomic number of the cosmic ray. Unlike the X-ray experiments, this experiment had no pointing requirements other than what was required for thermal control.[4]
The two other experiments were X-ray telescopes.[5] One detected low-energy X-rays and the other high-energy X-rays.[4]
A Scout D-1 carrier rocket (SN S198C) was used to launch Ariel 6 from Launch Area 3A at the Wallops Flight Center. The launch was successfully conducted at 23:26:00 UTC on 2 June 1979.[6][7] Once the satellite achieved orbit it was renamed from UK-6 to Ariel 6.[8]
Ariel 6 operated in a 599 by 653 kilometres (372 by 406 mi) low Earth orbit, at an inclination of 55.0° and with an orbital period of 97.22 minutes as of 15 July 1979.[1] The satellite provided data until February 1982.[9] It decayed from orbit and reentered the atmosphere on 23 September 1990.[1]
Interference from radar signals prevented the satellite from pointing correctly, and affected the data that it returned.[9]
← 1978 · Orbital launches in 1979 · 1980 → | |
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Kosmos 1070 | Kosmos 1071 | Kosmos 1072 | Molniya-3 No.23 | Meteor-Priroda No.2-3 | Kosmos 1073 | SCATHA | Kosmos 1074 | Ayame 1 | Kosmos 1075 | Kosmos 1076 | Kosmos 1077 | Zenit-2M No.131 | AEM-2 | Hakucho | Ekran No.16L | Kosmos 1078 | Solwind | Soyuz 32 | Kosmos 1079 | Interkosmos 19 | Meteor-2 No.4 | Progress 5 | Kosmos 1080 | Kosmos 1081 · Kosmos 1082 · Kosmos 1083 · Kosmos 1084 · Kosmos 1085 · Kosmos 1086 · Kosmos 1087 · Kosmos 1088 | OPS 3854 · OPS 6675 | Kosmos 1089 | Kosmos 1090 | Kosmos 1091 | Soyuz 33 | Kosmos 1092 | Molniya-1-43 | Kosmos 1093 | Kosmos 1094 | Kosmos 1095 | Gran' No.15L | Kosmos 1096 | Kosmos 1097 | OPS 6292 | Progress 6 | Kosmos 1098 | Kosmos 1099 | Kosmos 1100 · Kosmos 1101 | Kosmos 1102 | OPS 7164 | Kosmos 1103 | Kosmos 1104 | Ariel 6 | Molniya-3 No.21 | Soyuz 34 | OPS 5390 | Bhaskara 1 | Kosmos 1105 | OPS 7484 | Kosmos 1106 | Kosmos 1107 | Kosmos 1108 | NOAA-6 | Kosmos 1109 | Progress 7 (KRT-10) | Kosmos 1110 | Kosmos 1111 | Gorizont No.12L | Kosmos 1112 | Kosmos 1113 | Kosmos 1114 | Kosmos 1115 | Kosmos 1116 | Kosmos 1117 | Kosmos 1118 | Unnamed | Molniya-1-44 | Kosmos 1119 | Westar 3 | RTP | Kosmos 1120 | Kosmos 1121 | Kosmos 1122 | Kosmos 1123 | Kosmos 1124 | Kosmos 1125 | Kosmos 1126 | Kosmos 1127 | Kosmos 1128 | HEAO-3 | Kosmos 1129 | Kosmos 1130 · Kosmos 1131 · Kosmos 1132 · Kosmos 1133 · Kosmos 1134 · Kosmos 1135 · Kosmos 1136 · Kosmos 1137 | Kosmos 1138 | OPS 1948 | Ekran No.17L | Kosmos 1139 | Kosmos 1140 | Unnamed | Kosmos 1141 | Molniya-1-45 | Kosmos 1142 | Kosmos 1143 | Magsat | Meteor-2 No.7 | Interkosmos 20 | Kosmos 1144 | OPS 9443 · OPS 9444 | Kosmos 1145 | Kosmos 1146 | Satcom 3 | Kosmos 1147 | Soyuz T-1 | CAT-1 | Gorizont No.13L | Kosmos 1148 | |
Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |