Payload
TIROS 3
NonoperationalPayloadLEO
Television InfraRed Observation Satellite (TIROS) is a series of early weather satellites launched by the United States, beginning with TIROS-1 in 1960. TIROS was the first satellite that was capable of remote sensing of the Earth, enabling scientists to view the Earth from a new perspective: space. The program, promoted by Harry Wexler, proved the usefulness of satellite weather observation, at a time when military reconnaissance satellites were secretly in development or use. TIROS demonstrated at that time that "the key to genius is often simplicity". TIROS is an acronym of "Television InfraRed Observation Satellite" and is also the plural of "tiro" which means "a young soldier, a beginner".
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Launch
- Launch date
- July 12, 1961 at 10:25 AM UTC
- Launch site
- Cape Canaveral SFS, USA
- Launched by
- Thor-Delta →
- Operator
- United States Air Force
- Launch record
- View full launch →
Orbit
- Orbit regime
- LEO
- Apoapsis
- 772 km
- Periapsis
- 709 km
- Inclination
- 47.9°
- Orbital period
- 99.63 min
Spacecraft
- Operator
- United States
- Launch mass
- 127.85 kg
Identity
- COSPAR (Int'l)
- 1961-017A
- NORAD catalog №
- 162
- Object type
- Payload
- Owner / operator
United States
- Radar cross-section
- 0.8244 m²
- Status
- Nonoperational
End of mission
- Fate
- No longer operational — remains in orbit as inactive.
- Final status
- Nonoperational