Status
Success
Starlette
Launch Time
Thu Feb 06, 1975 16:35 UTC
Thu Feb 06, 1975 16:35 UTC
First flight of a Diamant BP4.
Rocket
Mission Details
Starlette
Starlette (Satellite de Taille Adaptée avec Réflecteurs Laser pour les Études de la Terre) and Stella are virtually identical French passive satellites launched by the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in 1975 and 1993, respectively. They are dedicated to geodetic and geophysical studies with SLR (Satellite Laser Ranging).
Their small size compared to their mass gives them a much larger sensitivity to the gravitational attraction than to the surface forces due either to the residual atmosphere at the satellite or to radiation pressure. Both Stella and Starlette are covered with 60 identical retroreflectors.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 48.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit
Location
ELD, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, France
Stats
1975
10th orbital launch attempt
Diamant
10th mission
1st mission of 1975
7th successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission