France 1
Also known as FR-1, a French satellite orbited by NASA
in a cooperative US-French program to investigate the properties of the
ionized layers of Earth's atmosphere by observing how very low frequency
(VLF) waves propagate through the ionosphere. The name developed in 1964,
when NASA and France's Centre National d'Etudes
Spatiales (CNES) agreed, after preliminary sounding rocket experiments,
to proceed with the satellite project. CNES provided the satellite and designated
it "FR-1" for "France" or "French" satellite number one. The first flight
unit was designated FR-1A and the backup unit, FR-1B. The second US-France
cooperative satellite, FR-2, was later renamed Eole.
| launch date |
Dec. 6, 1965 |
| launch vehicle |
Scout X-4 |
| launch site |
Vandenberg Air Force Base |
| orbit |
696 × 707 km × 75.9° |
| mass (on-orbit) |
60 kg |
Related entry
• Asterix
Related categories
• SATELLITES
AND SPACE PROBES
• FRANCE
IN SPACE
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