ESSA-4 (or TOS-B) was a spin-stabilized operational meteorological satellite. Its name was derived from that of its oversight agency, the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).
Mission type | Weather |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1967-006A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | S02657 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Launch mass | 290 kg (640 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 21 January 1967, 17:31 GMT |
Rocket | Thor-Delta E |
Launch site | Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2 |
Entered service | 21 January 1967 |
End of mission | |
Deactivated | 5 May 1968 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Eccentricity | 0.00740 |
Perigee altitude | 1,338 km (831 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 1,443 km (897 mi) |
Inclination | 102° |
Period | 113.48 minutes |
ESSA program |
ESSA 4 was launched to replace ESSA 2, launched February 3, 1966, which had drifted into an orbit of limited usefulness. The satellite was financed, managed, and operated by the Environmental Science Services Administration (ESSA).[1]
The 290 lb (130 kg) cartwheel-shaped spacecraft carried two Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) systems, with which it could instantly transmit photos of Earth's cloudcover to APT ground stations.[1]
ESSA-4 was launched on January 26, 1967, at 17:31 UTC. It was launched atop a Delta rocket from Vandenberg Space Launch Complex 2,[2] into Sun-synchronous orbit. ESSA-4 had an inclination of 102°, and an orbited the earth once every 113.4 minutes. Its perigee was 1,328 kilometers (825 mi) and its apogee was 1,443 kilometers (897 mi).
The satellite properly aligned itself with respect to the Earth during its 18th orbit, whereupon its first photos were transmitted. A two-week spacecraft checkout and evaluation program ensued.[1] One of the APTs failed after launch, but the other performed normally.[3]
ESSA 4 was turned operationally off on December 6, 1967, being finally deactivated on May 5, 1968.[3]
TIROS satellites | ||
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TIROS | ||
TOS | ||
ITOS | ||
TIROS-N | ||
Adv. TIROS-N |
← 1966 · Orbital launches in 1967 · 1968 → | |
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Intelsat II F-2 | OPS 1664 | IDCSP 9 · IDCSP 10 · IDCSP 11 · IDCSP 12 · IDCSP 13 · IDCSP 14 · IDCSP 15 · IDCSP 16 | Kosmos 138 | Kosmos 139 | ESSA-4 | OV3-5 | OPS 4399 | Lunar Orbiter 3 | Kosmos 140 | OPS 6073 | Diadème 1 | Kosmos 141 | Kosmos 142 | Diadème 2 | OPS 4750 | OPS 4204 | Kosmos 143 | Kosmos 144 | Kosmos 145 | OSO 3 | Kosmos 146 | Kosmos 147 | Kosmos 148 | Kosmos 149 | Kosmos 150 · OGCh No.8 | Intelsat II F-3 | Kosmos 151 | Kosmos 152 | OPS 4779 | Kosmos 153 | ATS-2 · RPM-481 | Kosmos 154 | Kosmos 155 | Unnamed | OPS 0100 | Surveyor 3 | ESSA-5 | Soyuz 1 | San Marco 2 | OPS 4243 | Kosmos 156 | OPS 6638 · OPS 6679 · ERS-18 · ERS-20 · ERS-27 | Lunar Orbiter 4 | Ariel 3 | OPS 4696 · OPS 1967 | Kosmos 157 | Kosmos 158 | Kosmos 159 | Kosmos 160 | OPS 7218 | Kosmos 161 | OPS 4321 · OPS 5557 | Explorer 34 | Molniya-1 No.8 | ESRO-2A | NRL PL-151 · NRL PL-152 · NRL PL-153 · NRL PL-154 · NRL-PL 159 · Timation 1 · Calsphere 3 · Calsphere 4 · OPS 5712 | Kosmos 162 | OPS 4360 | Kosmos 163 | Kosmos 164 | Venera 4 | Kosmos 165 | Mariner 5 | Kosmos 166 | OPS 3559 · OPS 1873 | Kosmos 167 | Zenit-4 No.32 | OPS 4286 | Unnamed | SECOR-9 · Aurora | IDCSP 16 · IDCSP 17 · IDCSP 18 · IDCSP 19 · LES-5 · DODGE | Kosmos 168 | Surveyor 4 | Kosmos 169 | Explorer 35 | Zenit-4 No.33 | OPS 1879 | OV1-11 · OV1-12 · OV1-86 | OGO-4 | Kosmos 170 | Lunar Orbiter 5 | OPS 4827 | Kosmos 171 | Kosmos 172 | OPS 4886 | OPS 7202 | Kosmos 173 | Kosmos 174 | Zenit-2 No.51 | Biosatellite 2 | Surveyor 5 | Kosmos 175 | Kosmos 176 | OPS 5089 | Kosmos 177 | Kosmos 178 | OPS 4941 | Kosmos 179 | OPS 4947 | Kosmos 180 | Unnamed | 7K-L1 No.4L | Intelsat II F-4 | Molniya-1 No.9 | OPS 1264 | Kosmos 181 | Kosmos 182 | Kosmos 183 | OSO 4 | Molniya-1 No.12 | Kosmos 184 | OPS 4995 | Kosmos 185 | Kosmos 186 | Kosmos 187 | Kosmos 188 | Kosmos 189 | OPS 0562 · OPS 1587 | Kosmos 190 | ATS-3 | Surveyor 6 | Apollo 4 | ESSA-6 | Kosmos 191 | 7K-L1 No.5L | Kosmos 192 | Kosmos 193 | WRESAT | Kosmos 194 | OV3-6 | OPS 5000 | OPS 1001 | Pioneer 8 · ERS-30 | Kosmos 195 | Kosmos 196 | Kosmos 197 | Kosmos 198 | |
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. |