TOPEX/Poseidon
Satellite mission to map ocean surface topography / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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TOPEX/Poseidon was a joint satellite altimeter mission between NASA, the U.S. space agency; and CNES, the French space agency, to map ocean surface topography. Launched on August 10, 1992, it was the first major oceanographic research satellite. TOPEX/Poseidon helped revolutionize oceanography by providing data previously impossible to obtain. Oceanographer Walter Munk described TOPEX/Poseidon as "the most successful ocean experiment of all time."[2] A malfunction ended normal satellite operations in January 2006.[3]
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
Mission type | Remote sensing |
---|---|
Operator | NASA and CNES |
COSPAR ID | 1992-052A |
SATCAT no. | 22076 |
Mission duration | Achieved: 13 years, 5 months In Orbit: 31 years, 8 months |
Spacecraft properties | |
Launch mass | 2,400 kilograms (5,300 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 10 August 1992 (1992-08-10) |
Rocket | Ariane 42P |
Launch site | Guiana Space Centre, Kourou |
End of mission | |
Declared | January 2006 (2006-02) |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Non Sun-synchronous |
Eccentricity | 0.000[1] |
Perigee altitude | 1,340 kilometers (830 mi)[1] |
Apogee altitude | 1,340 kilometers (830 mi)[1] |
Inclination | 66 degrees[1] |
Period | 112 minutes[1] |
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