Explorer 18
Explorer 18, also called IMP-A, IMP-1, Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-1 and S-74, was a NASA satellite launched as part of the Explorer program. Explorer 18 was launched on 27 November 1963 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, with a Thor-Delta C launch vehicle. Explorer 18 was the first satellite of the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP). Explorer 21 (IMP-B) launched in October 1964 and Explorer 28 (IMP-C) launched in May 1965 also used the same general spacecraft design.
Explorer-18 (IMP-A) satellite | |||||||||||||||||
| Names | IMP-A IMP-1 Interplanetary Monitoring Platform-1 S-74 | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mission type | Space physics | ||||||||||||||||
| Operator | NASA | ||||||||||||||||
| COSPAR ID | 1963-046A | ||||||||||||||||
| SATCAT no. | 00693 | ||||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft properties | |||||||||||||||||
| Spacecraft | IMP | ||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Goddard Space Flight Center | ||||||||||||||||
| Launch mass | 138 kg (304 lb) | ||||||||||||||||
| Power | 4 deployable solar arrays and batteries | ||||||||||||||||
| Start of mission | |||||||||||||||||
| Launch date | 27 November 1963, 02:30:01 GMT | ||||||||||||||||
| Rocket | Thor-Delta C (Thor 387 / Delta 021) | ||||||||||||||||
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, LC-17B | ||||||||||||||||
| Contractor | Douglas Aircraft Company | ||||||||||||||||
| Entered service | 27 November 1963 | ||||||||||||||||
| End of mission | |||||||||||||||||
| Last contact | 10 May 1965 | ||||||||||||||||
| Decay date | 30 December 1965 | ||||||||||||||||
| Orbital parameters | |||||||||||||||||
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit | ||||||||||||||||
| Regime | Highly elliptical orbit | ||||||||||||||||
| Perigee altitude | 4,395 km (2,731 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Apogee altitude | 192,003 km (119,305 mi) | ||||||||||||||||
| Inclination | 35.20° | ||||||||||||||||
| Period | 5606 minutes | ||||||||||||||||
| Instruments | |||||||||||||||||
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Explorer program | |||||||||||||||||
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