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ESSA-2 (or OT-2) was a spin-stabilized operational meteorological satellite. Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).

ESSA-2

ESSA 2
Mission type	Weather satellite
Operator	ESSA/NASA
COSPAR ID	1966-016A
SATCAT no.	2091
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	RCA Astro
Launch mass	286 kilograms (631 lb)[1]
Start of mission
Launch date	February 3, 1966, 13:55 (1966-02-03UTC13:55Z) UTC[2]
Rocket	Delta E
Launch site	Cape Canaveral LC-17B
End of mission
Disposal	Decommissioned
Deactivated	October 16, 1970 (1970-10-17)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Semi-major axis	7,115.60 kilometers (4,421.43 mi)
Eccentricity	0.00399
Perigee altitude	1,355 kilometers (842 mi)
Apogee altitude	1,415 kilometers (879 mi)
Inclination	101.3°
Period	113.5 minutes
Epoch	February 28, 1966
TOS ← ESSA-1 ESSA-3 →

Launch

ESSA-2 was launched on February 28, 1966, at 13:55 UTC. It was launched atop a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The spacecraft had a mass of 132 kilograms (291 lb) at the time of launch. ESSA-2 had an inclination of 101.3°, and an orbited the earth once every 113 minutes. Its perigee was 1,355 kilometers (842 mi) and its apogee was 1,455 kilometers (904 mi).

Mission

ESSA-2 was a sun-synchronous polar-orbiting weather satellite whose mission was to provide real-time pictures of cloud cover using the automatic picture transmission system. These cloud cover pictures were used by meteorologists for use in weather forecasting and analysis. The satellite provided useful cloud pictures for more than 4 years before the camera systems were placed in standby mode on March 20, 1970. ESSA-2 was fully deactivated on October 16, 1970.[1]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration document: "ESSA 2". Retrieved June 4, 2018.

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