Prospero (satellite)
 A mockup of the Prospero satellite |
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| Operator | RAE |
|---|---|
| Major contractors | BAC MES |
| Mission type | Technology |
| Launch date | 28 October 1971 |
| Carrier rocket | Black Arrow R3 |
| Launch site | LA-5B, Woomera |
| COSPAR ID | 1971-093A |
| Mass | 66kg |
| Orbital elements | |
| Regime | LEO |
| Inclination | 82° |
| Apoapsis | 1,402 kilometres (871 mi) |
| Periapsis | 531 kilometres (330 mi) |
| Orbital period | 104.4 minutes |
The Prospero satellite, also known as X-3,[1] is a satellite launched by the United Kingdom in 1971. It was designed to undertake a series of experiments studying the effects of the space environment. It is the only United Kingdom satellite to be successfully launched by a UK rocket; it was launched in October 1971, remained operational until 1973, and was contacted annually for over a quarter century after that.[2] It was the first satellite launched by the UK; but not the first developed by the UK. That honour belongs to Ariel 1, which was launched in April 1962 on a U.S. rocket.
Prospero has the COSPAR (NSSC ID) designation 1971-093A, and the US Space Command satellite catalogue number 05580.
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[edit] History
The satellite was built by the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough;[2] it was initially called Puck,[3] and was designed to conduct experiments to test solar cells and detect micrometeorites.[citation needed] When the Ministry of Defence canceled the Black Arrow programme,[4] the Prospero team decided to continue their mission,[2] but renamed the satellite Prospero when it was announced it would be the last launch attempt using a British rocket.[3]
It was launched at 04:09 GMT on 28 October 1971, from Launch Area 5B (LA-5B) at Woomera, South Australia on a Black Arrow rocket, making Britain the sixth nation to place a satellite into orbit using a domestically developed carrier rocket. A previous launch attempt, of another Black Arrow, with the Orba X-2 satellite, failed to achieve orbit after a premature second stage shut down.
A tape recorder is on board, which failed on 24 May 1973 after 730 plays.[citation needed]
As of 2006, radio transmissions from Prospero could still be heard on 137.560 MHz,[5] although it had officially been deactivated in 1996, when the UK's Defence Research Establishment decommissioned their satellite tracking station at Lasham, Hampshire. It is in a low Earth orbit, and is not expected to decay for about 100 years.[citation needed]
In September 2011, a team at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory went public with plans to try to re-establish communications with Prospero in time for the satellite's 40th anniversary.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Prospero (X-3)". Gunter's Space Page. http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/prospero.htm. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
- ^ a b c d Hollingham, Richard (5 September 2011). "Plan to revive 1970s UK satellite". BBC News. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14783135. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ a b "British Space Race". Time Shift. BBC. BBC Four.
- ^ Hill, C. N.. "The Cancellation of Black Arrow". A Vertical Empire. SpaceUK.org. http://www.spaceuk.org/ba/blackarrowcancellation.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ Coast, 2006/10/26, Series 2 Episode 1, BBC
[edit] External links
- Black Arrow from "Woomera on the Web"
- Prospero from Encyclopedia Astronautica
- Prospero in the Global Frequency Database
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