National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT)
Department of the Interior (DOI) U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
Manufacturers: General Electric (GE) Astrospace and Hughes Santa Barbara Remote Sensing
Launch
Date: March 1, 1984
Vehicle: Delta 3920
Launched by: NASA
Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
Spacecraft
3-axis stabilized, zero momentum with control of 0.01 deg using reaction wheels
Aluminum with graphite struts
Hydrazine propulsion system
Single solar array with 1-axis articulation
Three Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries provide 100 Ampere-Hour (AHr) total
Retractable boom (4 m long) with 2 powered joints supports the articulated High Gain Antenna, which downlinks data via Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS)
Communications system uses S,X,L, and Ku Bands
Weight: approximately 4,800 lbs (2,200 kg)
Communications
Direct downlink with TDRSS
Data rate: 85 Mbps
Quantisation: 8 bit (256 levels)
Orbit
Worldwide Reference System-2 (WRS-2) path/row system
Circular, sun-synchronous, near-polar orbit at an altitude of 705 km (438 mi)
U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
