Payload
EXPLORER 11
activePayloadLEO
Explorer 11 was a NASA satellite that carried the first space-borne gamma-ray telescope. This marked the beginning of space gamma-ray astronomy. Launched on 27 April 1961 by a Juno II, the satellite returned data until 17 November 1961, when power supply problems ended the science mission. During the spacecraft's seven-month lifespan it detected twenty-two events from gamma-rays and approximately 22,000 events from cosmic radiation.
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Launch
- Launch date
- April 27, 1961 at 02:16 PM UTC
- Launch site
- Cape Canaveral SFS, USA
- Launched by
- Juno II →
- Operator
- Army Ballistic Missile Agency
- Launch record
- View full launch →
Orbit
- Orbit regime
- LEO
- Apoapsis
- 1,173 km
- Periapsis
- 463 km
- Inclination
- 28.78°
- Orbital period
- 101.26 min
Identity
- COSPAR (Int'l)
- 1961-013A
- NORAD catalog №
- 107
- Object type
- Payload
- Owner / operator
United States- Radar cross-section
- 0.4538 m²
- Status
- active