Orbview home
topic index
Class: Surveillance. Type: Civilian. Nation: USA. Manufacturer: Orbital Sciences.

The OrbView imaging satellite, built by Orbital, was a 368 kg box-shaped spacecraft carrying a 1-m resolution panchromatic camera and an 8-m resolution 200-channel hyperspectral imager with a 0.45-meter aperture. It was to be used by the US Air Force.

Mass: 368 kg (811 lb).


Orbview Chronology
  • 2001 September 21 - Orbview-4 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: 576E. Launch Vehicle: Taurus. FAILURE: A problem a few seconds after first stage separation caused the rocket to go off course; it recovered and the remainder of the stages fired, but final cutoff velocity was too low to reach a sustainable orbit. Mass: 368 kg (811 lb).
    Launch delayed from June 27, July 18/22, August 12/21 and September1. The Orbital Sciences Taurus 2110 failed to remain in orbit. A problem a few seconds after first stage separation caused the T6 rocket to go off course; the rocket recovered and the remainder of the stages fired, but final cutoff velocity was too low to reach a sustainable orbit. The Castor 120 zero stage was on course but the Orion 50S first stage motor went off course. The satellites separated from the final stage as planned but burned up in the earth's atmosphere northeast of Madagascar before completing the first orbit. The final orbit was about 75-80 km x 425-430 km x 97 deg. The primary payload was the OrbView-4 imaging satellite. OrbView-4, built by Orbital, was a 368 kg box-shaped spacecraft carrying a 1-m resolution panchromatic camera and an 8-m resolution 200-channel hyperspectral imager with a 0.45-meter aperture. It was to be used by the US Air Force.

  • 2003 June 26 - Orbview 3 - Launch Site: Point Arguello WADZ. Launch Complex: -. Launch Vehicle: Pegasus. Mass: 304 kg (670 lb). Perigee: 452 km (280 mi). Apogee: 455 km (282 mi). Inclination: 97.30 deg. Period: 93.70 min.
    One-meter-resolution commercial imaging satellite. Orbview-3 used an Orbital Leostar bus and had a launch mass of 304 kg (including ca. 50 kg of hydrazine for orbit raising and the 66 kg science instrument). Launch had been delayed from September 2002, April 30, May 9 and 23


Bibliography:



Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments.
Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.

© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.