DMSP B5D2-8

Also called USA 109 and DMSP 5D F13 or DMSP 24547

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General

Designation	23533 / 95015A
Launch date	24 Mar 1995 at 14:05 UT
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Military: meteorology
Perigee/Apogee	846/854 km
Inclination	98.8°
Period	101.9 min
Launch vehicle	Atlas E45
Launch site	Vandenberg SLC3

The satellite carries the OLS (Operational Linescan System) weather imager, and a set of microwave sounders and particle detectors.

The launch vehicle was the last Atlas E, a refurbished intercontinental ballistic missile which had been built in the early 1960s.

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End of life

Out of service	3 Feb 2015 (was a backup since 2006)
Cause	Exploded into at least 43 pieces after a sudden temperature spike caused by attitude control failure. Battery charger was the primary cause.
Decay

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External resources

sat-index articles

Technical data

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Specifications

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