American satellite launched in 1958; oldest manmade object currently in Earth orbit
Vanguard 1
A model of Vanguard 1
Names
Vanguard TV-4 Vanguard Test Vehicle-Four
Mission type
Earth science
Operator
Naval Research Laboratory
Harvard designation
1958-Beta 2 [1]
COSPAR ID
1958-002B
SATCAT no.
00005
Mission duration
Planned: 90 days In Orbit: 66 years, 1 month and 19 days
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft
Vanguard 1
Spacecraft type
Vanguard
Manufacturer
Naval Research Laboratory
Launch mass
1.46 kg (3.2 lb)
Dimensions
152 mm (6.0 in) diameter, 3.0 ft (0.91 m) antenna span
Start of mission
Launch date
17 March 1958, 12:15:41 GMT
Rocket
Vanguard TV-4
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, LC-18A
Contractor
Glenn L. Martin Company
End of mission
Last contact
May 1964
Decay date
2198 (estimated) ~ 240 years orbital lifetime [1]
Orbital parameters
Reference system
Geocentric orbit[2]
Regime
Medium Earth orbit
Perigee altitude
654 km (406 mi)
Apogee altitude
3,969 km (2,466 mi)
Inclination
34.25°
Period
134.27 minutes
Project Vanguard
← Vanguard TV-3BU
Vanguard TV-5 →
Vanguard 1 (Harvard designation: 1958-Beta 2,[3] COSPAR ID: 1958-002B[1]) is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to be successfully launched, following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1. It was launched 17 March 1958. Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to have solar electric power.[4] Although communications with the satellite were lost in 1964, it remains the oldest human-made object still in orbit, together with the upper stage of its launch vehicle.[1]
Vanguard 1 was designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle as a part of Project Vanguard, and the effects of the space environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis.[5] Vanguard 1, being small and light enough to carry with one hand, was described by the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, as "the grapefruit satellite".[6]
^ abcd"Display: Vanguard 1 1958-002B". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"U.S. Space Objects Registry". Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2009. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^"Vanguard I The World's Oldest Satellite Still in Orbit". Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 24 September 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^O'Keefe, J. A.; Eckeis, Ann; Squires, R. K. (1959). "Vanguard Measurements Give Pear-Shaped Component of Earth's Figure". Science. 129 (3348): 565–566. doi:10.1126/science.129.3348.565.
^"Vanguard I – The World's Oldest Satellite Still in Orbit". Spacecraft Engineering Department, U.S. Navy. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Vanguard1 (Harvard designation: 1958-Beta 2, COSPAR ID: 1958-002B) is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to...
The Vanguard Group, Inc. (commonly known as simply Vanguard), is an American registered investment advisor based in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with about...
orbit using a Vanguard rocket. as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida. In response to the launch of Sputnik 1 on 4 October 1957...
Vanguardism, in the context of Leninist revolutionary struggle, relates to a strategy whereby the most class-conscious and politically "advanced" sections...
were: Vanguard 2A: launched 29 April 1958, by the Vanguard TV-5 rocket Vanguard 2B: launched 28 May 1958, by the Vanguard SLV-1 rocket Vanguard 2C: launched...
Vanguard 3 (Harvard designation: 1959 Eta 1) is a scientific satellite that was launched into Earth orbit by the Vanguard SLV-7 on 18 September 1959,...
only Soviet satellite launched in 1958. Like its American counterpart, Vanguard1, Sputnik 3 reached orbit during the International Geophysical Year. On...
flattened and the southern middle latitudes correspondingly bulged. U.S. Vanguard1 satellite data from 1958 confirms that the southern equatorial bulge is...
The Standard Vanguard is a car which was produced by the Standard Motor Company in Coventry, England, from 1947 until 1963. The car, announced in July...
Vanguard University (officially Vanguard University of Southern California) is a private Protestant university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first...
BOKA Vanguard (formerly Dockwise Vanguard) is a semisubmersible heavy-lift ship owned and operated by Dockwise B.V. Dockwise Vanguard is the largest vessel...
of China. The QW-1 (NATO reporting name: CH-SA-7) is the initial version. It is likely a copy or derivative of the Soviet 9K38 Igla-1 MANPAD. The system...
States of America launched Vanguard I into a medium Earth orbit (MEO). As of October 2009[update], it, the upper stage of Vanguard1's launch rocket and associated...
from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017. "Banker of the year Wigwe: Thriving in adverse circumstances". Vanguard. 1 January 2017. Archived...
Vickers Vanguard was a short/medium-range turboprop airliner designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Vickers-Armstrongs. The Vanguard was...
The Vanguards were a rock band from Bærum, Norway that debuted in 1961. Although the band disbanded eight years later, members continued to reunite for...
Global Information
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
