Explorer 1

E90686

artificial satellite scientific research satellite

Explorer 1 was the first successful United States satellite, launched in 1958 and notable for discovering the Van Allen radiation belts.

Aliases (2)

Explorer 1 bus ×1
Explorer 1 mission ×1

Statements (47)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	artificial satellite → scientific research satellite →
agency	National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics → United States Army Ballistic Missile Agency →
apogeeAltitude	about 2,550 kilometers →
associatedWith	Cold War → Space Race →
carriedInstrument	Geiger–Müller tube → cosmic ray detector → micrometeorite detector → temperature sensors →
countryOfOrigin	United States →
diameter	about 0.152 meters →
discovererOf	Van Allen radiation belts →
firstOf	first successful United States satellite →
followedBy	Explorer 3 →
launchContractor	Army Ballistic Missile Agency →
launchDate	1958-02-01 →
launchOutcome	success →
launchSite	Cape Canaveral Missile Annex Launch Complex 26A → Cape Canaveral, Florida →
launchVehicle	Juno I →
length	about 2.03 meters →
manufacturer	Jet Propulsion Laboratory →
mass	about 13.97 kilograms →
missionType	Earth science → cosmic ray research → ionospheric research →
namedAfter	exploration →
notableFor	discovering the Van Allen radiation belts →
operator	Jet Propulsion Laboratory → United States Army →
orbitalInclination	about 33.2 degrees →
orbitalPeriod	about 114.8 minutes →
orbitReference	geocentric orbit →
orbitRegime	low Earth orbit →
perigeeAltitude	about 358 kilometers →
powerSource	battery →
precededBy	Vanguard TV3 →
principalInvestigator	James Van Allen →
program	Explorer program →
radioFrequency	about 108.00 MHz → about 108.03 MHz →
reentryDate	1970-03-31 →
spacecraftBus	Explorer 1 bus →
spinStabilized	true →
status	deorbited →

Referenced by (4)

Subject (surface form when different)	Predicate
1958 Beta 2 → Vanguard 1 →	precededBy
James A. Van Allen ("Explorer 1 mission") →	participatedIn
Explorer 1 ("Explorer 1 bus") →	spacecraftBus