Pageos

Passive Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite

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General

Designation	02253 / 66056A
Launch date	24 Jun 1966
Country of origin	United States
Mission	Scientific: Geodesy
Perigee/Apogee	2953/5207 km
Inclination	84.4°
Period	177.4 min
Launch vehicle	Thor Agena D
Launch site	Vandenberg

Was an inflatable 30 (or 41?) m diameter aluminum coated mylar balloon weighing 55 kg.

In 1975 the satellite broke up into dozens of pieces... numerous decayed but some remain in orbit. They are of special interest for scientist studying solar radiation pressure (SRP)... because on some orbits, the debris actually gain altitude!

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End of life

Decay

2 Sep 2016

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