 | San Marco
Credit - © Mark Wade
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Type: Orbital Launch Site. Operator: Italy. Country: Kenya. Latitude: 2°56'27" S. Longitude: 40°12'48" E. Minimum Inclination: 2.0 degrees. Maximum Inclination: 3.0 degrees. In 1962 NASA signed an agreement with the Centro Ricerche Aerospaziali at the University of Rome creating the San Marco program. The purpose of the program was to place an Italian satellite in orbit and to create an Italian equatorial launch site for the Scout rocket. Permission was obtained from Kenya to emplace two modified oil platforms off their coast, on the equator. The Santa Rita platform would serve as a launch control center and would also be used for launch of sounding rockets. The San Marco platform would be dedicated to launch of Scout rockets to orbit.
Santa Rita, a triangular platform 40 m on a side, was towed from Italy to Kenya in the winter of 1963-1964 and emplaced in 20 m of water. The first launches of Nike Apache sounding rockets in the spring of 1964 proved the platform's systems. The San Marco platform, a 30 x 100 m rectangle, was emplaced in 1966 and the first Scout launch to orbit came in April 1967.
The site continued in use until 1988. It was not scrapped, as one potential Italian or European launcher program after another (Scout 2, Vega) created the possibility that funds would be made available to put it back in use. By 2003 the platforms were in a very decrepit state and the scrap yard beckoned.
Launch Pads - Name: Santa Rita Platform. Latitude: 2.9386 S. Longitude: 40.2100 E. Launch Pads: 1. Nike Apache.
 | San Marco
Credit - © Mark Wade
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San Marco Chronology and Launch Log
- 1964 March 25 - Test mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. LC: Rita. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1964 March 30 - Test mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. LC: Rita. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1964 April 2 - Test mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. LC: Rita. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1967 April 26 10:06 - San Marco 2 Launch Vehicle: Scout B. Scout B S153C Apogee: 741 km (460 mi). Atmospheric density data. Scientific satellite launched from a mobile range off Formosa Bay (Kenya).
- 1970 December 12 10:53 - Explorer 42 Launch Vehicle: Scout B. Scout B S175C Apogee: 570 km (350 mi). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).
- 1971 April 24 07:32 - San Marco 3 Launch Vehicle: Scout B. Scout B S173C Apogee: 707 km (439 mi). Atmospheric research. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).
- 1971 November 15 05:52 - Explorer 45 Launch Vehicle: Scout B. Scout B S163CR Apogee: 18,149 km (11,277 mi). Studies magnetosphere, energetic particles. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).
- 1971 November 17 - Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Nike Tomahawk NASA 18.103GA Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1972 March 13 16:00 - ISRC-PO-4 Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 185 km (114 mi).
- 1972 March 14 15:58 - ISRC-PO-5 Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 185 km (114 mi).
- 1972 March 15 16:00 - ISRC-PO-6 Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 185 km (114 mi).
- 1972 March 16 15:43 - ISRC-PO-7 Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 185 km (114 mi).
- 1972 March 22 08:22 - ISRC-PO-9 Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1972 November 15 22:13 - Explorer 48 Launch Vehicle: Scout D. Scout D-1 S170CR Apogee: 526 km (326 mi). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).
- 1972 November 28 - Ionosphere/Aeronomy mission? Launch Vehicle: Nike Apache. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi).
- 1973 June 30 13:07 - Solar Extreme ultraviolet mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).
- 1974 February 18 10:05 - San Marco 4 Launch Vehicle: Scout D. Scout D-1 S190C Apogee: 875 km (543 mi). Measurement of density, temperature, composition of atmosphere. Launch time 10:05:28.5 GMT. Anticipated life: 3 years.
- 1974 October 15 07:47 - Ariel 5 Launch Vehicle: Scout B. Scout B-1 S187C Apogee: 549 km (341 mi). X-ray observatory. Cosmic X-ray astronomy. Injection point: 2.7S, 58.2E. Anticipated life: 5 years. Time of launch: 07:47:00.25 GMT. Decay also (belatedly) noted in ST/SG/SER.E/216.
- 1975 May 7 22:45 - Explorer 53 Launch Vehicle: Scout F. Scout F-1 S194C Apogee: 507 km (315 mi). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B).
- 1980 February 15 08:25 - Plasma mission Launch Vehicle: Arcas. Super Arcas NASA 15.200UE Apogee: 88 km (54 mi).
- 1980 February 16 08:25 - Plasma mission Launch Vehicle: Astrobee D. Astrobee D NASA 23.17UE Apogee: 78 km (48 mi).
- 1980 February 16 08:25 - Plasma mission Launch Vehicle: Arcas. Super Arcas NASA 15.201UE Apogee: 84 km (52 mi).
- 1980 February 16 09:10 - Plasma mission Launch Vehicle: Arcas. Super Arcas NASA 15.202UE Apogee: 78 km (48 mi).
- 1980 February 16 - Solar Eclipse mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant 8C NASA 27.43AS Apogee: 319 km (198 mi).
- 1980 February 16 20:30 - Plasma mission Launch Vehicle: Astrobee D. Astrobee D NASA 23.18UE Apogee: 76 km (47 mi).
- 1980 February 16 08:23 - Solar Eclipse mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant 8C NASA 27.42AS Apogee: 298 km (185 mi).
- 1988 March 25 19:50 - San Marco D/L Launch Vehicle: Scout G. Scout G-1 S206C Apogee: 625 km (388 mi). Upper atmosphere studies; US, France, Italy participation.
Bibliography and Further Reading - 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.
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