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Vela 1A 
Summary
Vela 1A (or Vela 1) was a military satellite developed to detect nuclear detonations to monitor compliance with the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty by the Soviet Union.
 Vela 1A | |
| Operator | USAF |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1963-039A |
| SATCAT no. | 00674 |
| Mission duration | 6 months (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | TRW |
| Launch mass | 150 kilograms (330 lb) |
| Power | 90 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 17, 1963, 02:24 |
| Rocket | Atlas-LV3 Agena-D |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-13 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Highly Elliptical |
| Perigee altitude | 101,081 kilometres (62,809 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 116,582 kilometres (72,441 mi) |
| Inclination | 38.7° |
| Period | 6,486.2 minutes |
| Epoch | October 17, 1963 |
Launch edit
Vela 1A was launched on October 17, 1963 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, by an Atlas-Agena launch vehicle. Vela 1A was launched along with Vela 1B and with ERS 12.[1]
Mission edit
Vela 1A was a spin-stabilized 124-kg satellite comprising the first launch in a series of six Vela launches. Together with its twin Vela 1B, their objectives were to monitor nuclear weapons explosions in space and to study x-rays, gamma-rays, neutrons, and charged particles as the satellites passed through interplanetary space, the bow shock, the magnetosheath, and the magnetotail.[2]