Prospero (spacecraft)

Prospero

Flight spare of the Prospero satellite in the Science Museum, London.
Names	Puck
Mission type	Technology
Operator	RAE
COSPAR ID	1971-093A
SATCAT no.	5580
Mission duration	52 years, 10 months and 8 days (in orbit)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	BAC Marconi
Launch mass	66 kilograms (146 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	28 October 1971 04:09 (1971-10-28UTC04:09) GMT
Rocket	Black Arrow R3
Launch site	Woomera LA-5B
End of mission
Disposal	Deorbited
Decay date	2070 (planned)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Semi-major axis	7,295.54 kilometres (4,533.24 mi)[1]
Eccentricity	0.053451[1]
Perigee altitude	534 kilometres (332 mi)[1]
Apogee altitude	1,314 kilometres (816 mi)[1]
Inclination	82.04 degrees[1]
Period	103.36 minutes[1]
Epoch	24 January 2015, 04:50:31 UTC[1]

The Prospero satellite, also known as the X-3,^[2] was launched by the United Kingdom in 1971. It was designed to undertake a series of experiments to study the effects of the space environment on communications satellites and remained operational until 1973, after which it was contacted annually for over 25 years.^[3] Although Prospero was the first British satellite to have been launched successfully by a British rocket, Black Arrow; the first British satellite placed in orbit was Ariel 1, launched in April 1962 on a US rocket.