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, 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 |
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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 | |
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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 |
Further STP missions:
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