Viking (satellite)

Viking
Mission typeEarth observation
COSPAR ID1986-019B Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.16614
Mission duration1 year, 2 months and 20 days
Start of mission
Launch date22 February 1986 (1986-02-22)
RocketAriane 1
Launch siteGuiana Space Centre
Entered service22 February 1986
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimePolar
Semi-major axis13,550 km (8,420 mi)
Eccentricity0.0001538
Perigee altitude801 km (498 mi)
Apogee altitude13,538 km (8,412 mi)
Inclination98.7863°
Period261.56 minutes
Epoch15 April 2019, 18:22:45[1]
 
The Viking satellite is mounted on top of the Ariane adapter.

Viking was Sweden's first satellite. It was launched on an Ariane 1 rocket as a piggyback payload together with the French satellite SPOT 1, on February 22, 1986.[2] Operations ended on May 12, 1987. Viking was used to explore plasma processes in the magnetosphere and the ionosphere.[3]

  1. ^ "Viking - Orbit". Heavens-Above. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Ariane 1 SPOT-1 & Viking Launch". NextSpaceflight.com. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  3. ^ Krebs, Gunter D. "Viking". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved January 29, 2023.

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