Astérix (satellite)
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Astérix, the first French satellite, was launched on November 26, 1965 by a rocket of type Diamant A from Hammaguir in Algeria. It was originally designated A-1, as the French Army's first satellite, but later renamed after the popular French cartoon character Astérix. Due to the relatively high altitude of its orbit, it is not expected to reenter Earth's atmosphere for several centuries to come. With Astérix, France became the fourth country to successfully put an artificial satellite in orbit, behind Canada, USA, and USSR (although Canada's satellite was launched by NASA.)
[edit] Data
- Weight: 42kg
- Perigee: 527 km
- Apogee: 1697 km
- Inclination: 34.3 degrees
- Orbital period: 107.5 minutes
