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First Satellites (thelemmy.club)
submitted 6 months ago by to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
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[–] 29 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (5 children)

Canada was the 4th country with a satellite, and the 3rd country to fully construct its own satellite. It called that satellite Alouette 1, followed by Alouette 2, then ISIS 1 and 2 (International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies, not the other one).

The list of launches is pretty funny.

  • Sputnik 1 (success); USSR
  • Sputnik 2 (success); USSR

Then an absolutely frantic series of US attempts

  • Vanguard 1A (failure); USA
  • Explorer 1 (success); USA
  • Vanguard 1B (failure); USA
  • Explorer 2 (failure); USA
  • Vanguard 1C (success); USA
  • Explorer 3 (success); USA
  • Vanguard 2A (failure); USA

Then another Sputnik

  • Sputnik 3 (success); USSR

Then more frantic attempts by the USA

  • Vanguard 2B (failure); USA
  • Vanguard 2C (failure); USA
  • Explorer 4 (success); USA
  • Pioneer 0 (failure); USA
  • Pioneer Explorer 5 (failure); USA
  • Vanguard 2D (failure); USA
  • Pioneer 1 (partial success); USA
  • Beacon 1 (failure); USA
  • Pioneer 2 (failure); USA

Then 1959 started with Luna 1, a partially successful launch from the USSR.

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  • [–] 6 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    Mild confusing, Pioneer 5 launched before Pioneer 1? Whose bright idea was that?

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago (1 child)

    I read in another place that Japan was the fourth to launch a satellite in February of 1970, it looks like that other article means ‘launched using their own rocktet’, and Canada launched 8 years earlier than Japan using NASA rocket

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  • [–] 3 points 6 months ago

    Everybody wants to make their own achievement sound better.

    • The UK was the third country with a satellite, but didn't fully build their own satellite.
    • Canada was the fourth, but third to fully build their own satellite, but they didn't use their own rocket.
    • Italy was the fifth and also launched a satellite they built, but used an American rocket.
    • France was the sixth country with a satellite, but the first to launch outside the US or USSR using their own rocket.
    • Australia was the seventh country with a satellite, but the third to launch a satellite in its own territory; France launched from Algeria in 1965 which had been independent since 1962. But, Australia used an American rocket, not its own design.
    • West Germany was the eighth country with a satellite, but it was launched from a US rocket on a US base.
    • Japan was the ninth country with a satellite, but it used its own rocket from its own territory. So, 9th with a satellite, 5th to launch outside the US and USSR, 4th to launch from its own territory, and 4th to launch with its own rocket.
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