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OV2

OV2 5 [USAF]

The OV2 (Orbiting Vehicle 2) series satellites were originally built for project ARENTS (Advanced Research Environmental Test Satellite), which was intended to obtain supporting data for the Vela program. After the cancellation of the ARENTS program, the already built hardware was reused for OV2, a low-cost series of experimental satellites, which were to be launched for free on Titan-3C test flights to very different orbits.

OV2 2 would have been launched to a circular 400 km orbit and OV2 4 would have been launched on an earth escape trajectory, but both were cancelled.

Payloads:

  • OV2 1: Subliming solid motor, particle and fields detectors, plasma probes, magnetometers
  • OV2 2: Optical sensors
  • OV2 3: Solar experiments
  • OV2 4: Optical measurements from a highly eccentric trans-lunar orbit
  • OV2 5: 2 scintillation detectors, faraday cup, spherical ion trap, 2 electrostatic analysers, magnetometer, VLF receiver, ORBIS-High beacon, Lyman-alpha scanning UV photometer

OV2 1, along with its LCS 2 co-passenger, was lost, when the Transtage upper stage of the Titan-3C launch vehicle suffered a destructive malfunction.

OV2 3 was placed in a lower than planned orbit and failed to deploy due to another Transtage failure.

OV2 5 was successfully placed into orbit, but subsequently seven of the twelve appendages failed to deploy correctly, but most · of the 11 experiments returned data. It was the first scientific satellite at geosynchronous altitude.

OV2 2 and OV2 4 were cancelled, when the Titan-3C test program was changed.

Nation: USA
Type / Application: Experimental
Operator: US Air Force (USAF)
Contractors: Northrop Systems Laboratories
Equipment:
Configuration:
Propulsion:
Power: 4 deployable solar arrays, batteries
Lifetime:
Mass: 170 kg (#1); 193 kg (#3); 204 kg (#5)
Orbit: 708 km × 791 km, 32.6° (#1); 167 km × 33662 km, 26.4° (#3); 35084 km × 35774 km, 12.6° (#5);
400 km × 400 km (#2, planned); earth escape (#4, planned)
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
OV2 1 1965-082C 15.10.1965 CC LC-40 f Titan-3C with LCS 2
OV2 2 - cancelled CC Titan-3C with ?
OV2 3 1965-108V 21.12.1965 CC LC-41 p Titan-3C with LES 3, LES 4, OSCAR 4
OV2 4 - cancelled CC Titan-3C with ?
OV2 5 (P67-2) 1968-081A 26.09.1968 CC LC-41 Titan-3C with LES 6, OV5 2, OV5 4

References:

  • Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles: Orbiting Vehicle (OV)
  • J. W. Powell and G. R. Richards, “The Orbiting Vehicle series of satellites”, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, Volume 40, pp.417-426, 1987.
Further STP missions:

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