Success
Topex-Poseidon, Kitsat 1 & S80/T
Earth Science
Arianespace(ASA)CommercialAriane 42P
LEOorbit
The TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite was launched on 10 August 1992 with the objective of "observing and understanding the ocean circulation". A joint project between NASA, the U.S. space agency, and CNES, the French space agency, it carries two radar altimeters and precise orbit determination systems, including the DORIS system. KITSAT-1 (Korean Institute of Technology Satellite) was a collaborative research mission, encompassing the installation of a groundstation in South Korea, participation of Korean engineers in the UoSAT-5 mission, technology transfer and training of students on the MSc courses at Surrey, and the involvement in a engineering and flight microsatellites. The S80/T satellite was built for CNES by Matra Marconi Space using the Surrey Satellite Technology Microbus (Uosat) bus.
Monday, August 10, 1992 at 11:08 PM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#3,741
ASA Mission
#51
Pad Launch
#27
Location Launch
#61
Designator
1992-052
Launch Window
NET
Aug 10, 1992, 11:08 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Ariane 42P Specs
The Ariane 4 was an expendable space launch system, developed by the Centre national d'études spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, for the European Space Agency (ESA). It was manufactured by ArianeGroup and marketed by Arianespace. Since its first flight on 15 June 1988 until the final flight on 15 February 2003, it attained 113 successful launches out of 116 total launches.
Length
55.9 m
Diameter
3.8 m
Launch Mass
323 t
Thrust
3,944 kN
LEO Capacity
6,000 kg
GTO Capacity
2,990 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1990
Fastest Turnaround
22d 23h
Total Launches
15
Successful
14
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
8
Maiden flight: Nov 20, 1990
Arianespace
Arianespace SA is a multinational company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane programme. Their vehicles launch exclusively from French Guiana in South America.
Founded
1980
Administrator
CEO: David Cavaillolès
Total Launches
326
Successful
311
Failed
15
Pending
29
Consecutive Success
14
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
The Guiana Space Centre is a European spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, a region of France in South America. Kourou is located at a latitude of 5°. In operation since 1968, it is a suitable location for a spaceport because of its equatorial location and open sea to the east.
Timezone
America/Cayenne
Local Launch Time
Aug 10, 1992, 8:08 PM
Total Launches
333
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
5.1690, -52.6903