Categories: History

April 26, 1962: Britain Launches Its 1st Satellite making it the third country with a satellite

On April 26, 1962, Britain launched its first satellite, Ariel 1

This made the United Kingdom the third country to have a satellite in orbit after the U.S. and the Soviet Union — but they didn’t launch it themselves. Ariel 1 launched on an American Thor-Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It was also built at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Britain’s Science and Engineering Research Council provided all of the experiments. Five of the six experiments onboard studied the relationship between solar radiation and Earth’s ionosphere, and one was dedicated to studying cosmic rays. Just 10 weeks after Ariel 1 launched, it was damaged by an explosion during a high-altitude nuclear test conducted by the U.S. military. Its solar panels broke, and it was unable to transmit any more useful data after that.

Editor’s Note: This was an important turning point in the British space history as Great Britain became a space power after the launch of Ariel 1 and continues to be a space power to this day.

admin

Share
Published by
admin

Recent Posts

Indian ISRO Venus Orbiter Mission Shukrayaan will Conduct Detailed Venus Analysis

ISRO as India's National Space Agency, which has been one of the most active space…

1 month ago

After the Moon the Next Step is Mars: Humanity is Expanding

Although many countries are currently struggling with economic problems, humanity is also pursuing projects that…

2 months ago

Is Teleportation Becoming a Reality?

Will We Be Able to Beam Ourselves to Other Locations? Those born between 1960 and…

2 months ago

The World’s First Civilian Space Walk and First Space Hotel

Space studies are progressing at a very high speed in the world. In my previous…

2 months ago

Ideal MTech Aerospace Engineering Program with 1 Year Internship to Solidify Experience

 Ideal MTech Aerospace Engineering Program with 1-Year Internship: A Comprehensive Pathway A Master of Technology…

3 months ago

Increasing Sun Activity with Sunspots and Solar Storms: 2025 is Expected to be Solar Maxima

Sun is the Essence of Life Our sun is the most important factor for life…

3 months ago