NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Polar Bear

Launch Time
Fri Nov 14, 1986 00:23 UTC

Rocket

Scout G1
US Air Force
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 622 kN
Payload to LEO: 210 kg
Payload to GTO: 0 kg
Stages: 4
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 21.0 m

Mission Details

Polar Bear

Polar Bear (Polar Beacon and Research), also known as STP P87-1, was a military mission designed to study communications interference caused by solar flares and increased auroral activity.

It was to continuie the mission of its predecessor, HILAT. The spacecraft was built on the Transit-O 17 navigational satellite that was retrieved from the Smithsonian's National Air & Space Museum, where it had been on display for 8 years.

Polar bear was gravity gradient stabilized by deployable boom with tip mass and was powered by 4 small deployable solar arrays.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 125.0 kg
Polar Orbit

Location

SLC-5, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Stats

1986

94th orbital launch attempt

Scout

88th mission
1st mission of 1986
75th successful mission
37th consecutive successful mission