Sep 11 1976
From The Space Library
The Air Force launched the first Block 5D advanced meteorological satellite from Vandenberg AFB on a Thor-Burner 2 at 1:01 am local time into an orbit with 848-km apogee, 818-km perigee, 98.6° inclination, and 101.5-min period. The RCA-built research satellite was a 450-kg cylinder 6.4m long and 1.7m in diameter. USAF later reported that a power-system failure had apparently occurred because no communications were coming from the AMS 1; no cause of the malfunction had been determined, and "chances of correcting it are grim," USAF said. (SSR, 31 Oct 76, 31; SBA 21 Sept 76, 24; Av Wk, 27 Sept 76, 26)
The USSR launched the second operational satellite in its Statsionar l series, also known as Raduga (Rainbow), into a circular orbit at 35 900-km altitude, 0.3° inclination, and 1436-min period, Tass announced. Carrying retransmitting equipment for continuous telephone and telegraph communications, Raduga would also transmit color and black-and-white TV programs to Central Asia and Siberia. (UPI in NYT, 14 Sept 76, 28; Sf, Mar 1977, 117)
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