Orba (satellite)
Orba, also known as X-2, was intended to be the first satellite launched by a British rocket. It was launched at 00:34 GMT on 2 September 1970, atop a Black Arrow rocket from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, but failed to reach orbit after the second stage of the carrier rocket shut down 13 seconds early.[1] Orba was built from spare parts due to funding restrictions,[2] and was to have been used to measure upper atmosphere density by monitoring the decay of its orbit.[3]
| Mission type | Atmospheric |
|---|---|
| Operator | RAE |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 September 1970, 00:34:05 UTC |
| Rocket | Black Arrow R2 |
| Launch site | Woomera LA-5B |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned |
See also
- Prospero X-3
- Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes
References
- Wade, Mark. "Black Arrow". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- Hill, Nicholas. "Black Arrow". A Vertical Empire. Space UK. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
- Krebs, Gunter. "Orba (X 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
Black Arrow rockets | ||
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