LOFTI 2 ("LOw Frequency Trans Ionospheric Satellite", also styled LOFTI II) refers to a pair of United States Naval Research Laboratory satellites launched in 1962 and 1963 as a follow-on to the LOFTI-1 mission. The program's mission was to study how the ionosphere affected very low frequency transmissions. Both were 20-inch diameter aluminum spheres equipped with extendible antennas. [1]
LOFTI 2
LOFTI 2 was launched on 24 January 1962 [2] as part of the Composite 1 mission alongside four other satellites. [3] The mission failed to reach orbit. [2] [4]
LOFTI 2A
LOFTI 2A was launched on 15 June 1963 alongside five other satellites. [5] It was equipped with a ten-foot antenna which could be extended to 40 feet remotely. The orbital injection motor on the launch vehicle failed to fire, leaving all of the satellites in the wrong orbit. [6]
See also
References
- ^ Electro-Optical Systems (1966). Richter, Henry (ed.). Instruments and Spacecraft, October 1957-March 1965: Space Measurements Survey. Scientific and Technical Information Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration. pp. 239–240, 430.
- ^ a b Krebs, Gunter. "LOFTI 1, 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "USN 711008: Lofti II Satellite". history.navy.mil. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ "Composite Launch Attempt Fails". Aviation Week and Space Technology. p. 29.
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "LOFTI 2A". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
- ^ Brescia, R.; Ballou, D.; Zirm, R. Decay Prediction of 1963-21 Using U.S. Naval Space Surveillance System Observations (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 12 July 2022.
Further reading
- "Launch 1962-F02: Ablestar 010 (Composite 1)". planet4589.org.