Principal mission of the technological capsule (with ballast), which was equipped with batteries having a lifetime of approximately 8 orbits, was to transmit back to earth technological data on the first developmental flight L01 of the Ariane launch vehicle.

When the batteries were exhausted, the capsule ended its radio transmissions, and it was then inoperative but still in orbit.

Typical orbit: 202 x 27520 km, 12.3 deg inclinaton. Associated Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1.

• 1979 December 24 - CAT 1 - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. Mass: 1,602 kg (3,531 lb). Perigee: 125 km (77 mi). Apogee: 14,047 km (8,728 mi). Inclination: 17.80 deg. Period: 259.10 min.

  Launch vehicle test. Technological Capsule (CAT). ESA registration number: ESA/79/2. Principal mission of the technological capsule (with ballast), which was equipped with batteries having a lifetime of approximately 8 orbits, was to transmit back to earth technological data on the first developmental flight L01 of the ARIANE launch vehicle. When the batteries were exhausted, the capsule ended its radio transmissions, and it is now inoperative but still in orbit.

• 1980 May 23 - CAT - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. FAILURE: Failure.

• 1981 December 20 - Tech. capsule - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. Perigee: 199 km (123 mi). Apogee: 36,051 km (22,401 mi). Inclination: 10.60 deg. Period: 636.00 min.

  Ariane L-04 technological capsule, ESA designator ESA/81/04. The technological capsule, equipped with batteries for a lifetime of about 6 orbital revolutions (65h), transmits to earth technological data about test flight L-04 of Ariane. After discharge of the battery the capsule will stop its transmissions and remain in orbit in an inactive status. Frequency 136-138 MHz, projected time of reentry before 1990.

• 1981 December 20 - CAT 4 - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. Mass: 217 kg (478 lb). Perigee: 259 km (160 mi). Apogee: 30,744 km (19,103 mi). Inclination: 10.40 deg. Period: 536.80 min.

  Launch vehicle test payload.

• 1981 June 19 - CAT 3 - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Ariane 1. Perigee: 261 km (162 mi). Apogee: 26,528 km (16,483 mi). Inclination: 10.70 deg. Period: 461.20 min.

  Launch vehicle test payload. Technological capsule. ESA registration ESA/81/02. Launch time 1233:03 UT. The technological capsule, equipped with batteries for a lifetime of about six orbital revolutions, transmits to earth technological data about test flight L-03 of ARIANE. After di scharge of the battery the capsule will stop its transmissions and remain in orbit on inactive status. Frequency 136-138 MHz (transmission until 65h after launch only). Projected time of reentry 1986.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.