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Other Designations: Ionosphere Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Ionosphere. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA.

Ionospheric research.

Typical orbit: 855 km x 1001 km at 80 degrees inclination. Mass: 44 kg (97 lb). Associated Launch Vehicle: Scout X-4.

IE Chronology

1964 August 25 - Explorer 20 - Program: Explorer. Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Scout. Mass: 44 kg (97 lb). Perigee: 857 km (532 mi). Apogee: 999 km (620 mi). Inclination: 79.90 deg. Period: 103.60 min.
Ionospheric research. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).

Bibliography:

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.

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