Explorer 1 was the first artificial satellite launched by the United States, placed into orbit on January 31, 1958, in response to the Soviet Union launch of Sputnik 1 several months earlier. Instruments aboard the satellite, designed by physicist James Van Allen, detected a band of charged particles trapped by Earth magnetic field, a discovery that led to the identification of what became known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Explorer 1 remained in orbit until 1970 and marked the beginning of the long running Explorer program of NASA scientific satellites.
Facts
Spacecraft Type ManufacturerJet Propulsion Laboratory 2 StatusReentered atmosphere on March 31, 1970 2 Status
Status (category) Connections
Associated With
Juno I launched Explorer 1 on 31 January 1958, the first successful American satellite.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Operated By
Explorer 1, the first satellite launched by the United States (1958), was a NASA/JPL mission flown in the agency's founding year.
Source Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Sources
1. Explorer 1 (Wikipedia)
2. Wikipedia - Explorer 1
Infobox, mission type
Science Explorer
Infobox, manufacturer
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Wikipedia body, decay
reentered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean on 31 March 1970
View the Source3. Wikidata: Explorer 1
Wikipedia (space and spaceflight articles)
Wikimedia Foundation- Operated By: NASA, Wikipedia: Explorer 1, lead section
- Associated With: Juno I, Wikipedia: Explorer 1, lead section
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