Solwind
The P78-1 | |
| Mission type | Solar physics |
|---|---|
| Operator | DoD Space Test Program |
| COSPAR ID | 1979-017A |
| SATCAT no. | 11278 |
| Mission duration | 6 years, 6 months, 20 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Ball Aerospace |
| Launch mass | 1,331 kilograms (2,934 lb) |
| Dry mass | 850 kilograms (1,870 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | February 24, 1979, 08:24:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas F-OIS |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-3W |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Destroyed by ASAT |
| Destroyed | September 13, 1985 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Sun-synchronous |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | .0022038 |
| Perigee altitude | 515 kilometres (320 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 545 kilometres (339 mi) |
| Inclination | 97.6346° |
| RAAN | 182.5017 |
| Argument of perigee | 99.6346 |
| Mean anomaly | 260.9644 |
| Mean motion | 15.11755304 |
| Epoch | 1985 09 13.72413718 |
| Instruments | |
| Gamma-ray spectrometer, a white light spectrograph, an extreme ultraviolet spectrometer, a high latitude particle spectrometer, an aerosol monitor, and an X-ray monitor | |
P78-1 or Solwind was a United States satellite launched aboard an Atlas F rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 24, 1979. The satellite's mission was extended by several weeks, so that it operated until it was destroyed in orbit on September 13, 1985, to test the ASM-135 ASAT anti-satellite missile.