Stats[]
| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle. | Vanguard rocket. |
| Launch date. | 17 February 1959, 15:55 UTC. |
| Launch site. | Cape Canaveral LC-18A. |
| Ceased operations. | March 8, 1969. |
| Owner(s). | Department of the Navy. |
| Major contractor(s) | Naval Research Laboratory. |
| Is it still in orbit. | Yes and it has an expected orbital lifetime of 300 years, so it will not burn up until at least 2259. |
| Launch mass. | 10.8 kilograms (24 lb). |
| Nationality(s). | American. |
| Satellite type. | Weather satellite and an air density experiment.. |
| Links. | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_2. |
History[]
A mock-up of Vanguard 2.
1959 Vanguard 2 (NASA)
1959: Vanguard 2 (NASA).
TIROS-1 was the World's first ever weather satellite and was sent up in the hope it may help hurricane detection work back on earth. Vanguard 2 did take several pictures of clouds earlier. The optical scanner experiment was designed to obtain cloud-cover data between the equator and 35° to 45° N latitude.
It is to be noted that modern services like Google Maps, hurricane tracking services and satellite TV all owe a debt to these early satellites.