Landsat 6

American Earth-observing satellite launched in 1993 as part of the Landsat program
Landsat 6
Mission typeEarth imaging
OperatorNASA / NOAA
COSPAR ID1993-F04[1]
Mission durationFailed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerMartin Marietta
Launch mass2,750 kilograms (6,060 lb)
Power1259 watts
Start of mission
Launch dateOctober 5, 1993 (1993-10-05)
RocketTitan II(23)G/Star-37XFP-ISS
Launch siteVandenberg AFB SLC-4W
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeSun-synchronous
Perigee altitude705 kilometres (438 mi)
Apogee altitude705 kilometres (438 mi)
Inclination98.3°
Period98.9 minutes
EpochPlanned
 

Landsat 6, equipped with upgraded versions of the instruments on Landsat 5, was designed to carry forward the Landsat program. It was launched on October 5, 1993, with a Titan II launch vehicle, but failed to reach orbit. Landsat 6 omitted the Multi-Spectral Scanner found on its predecessors, but carried an Enhanced Thematic Mapper, which improved on the previous Thematic Mapper by adding a 15m-resolution panchromatic band.[2]

Development

The Landsat 6 satellite was built by Martin Marietta Astro Space.[3]

Design

Operations

The satellite was constructed from aluminum and used graphite struts. Landsat 6 had a hydrazine propulsion system. The spacecraft was powered by one solar array that had single-axis articulation and produced 1430 W. The power was stored in two NiCd batteries that had a capacity of 100 Ah. Data collected from the sensors was stored on tapes and transmitted to ground stations at 85 Mbit/s. The satellite was stabilized to 0.1 degrees in all three axes by using reaction wheels.[3]

Sensors

The Enhanced Thematic Mapper was designed and manufactured by Santa Barbara Research Center.[4]

Mission

Launch

Landsat 6 was launched aboard a Titan II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base on October 5, 1993.[5]

Operations

Landsat 6 separated from the Titan II launch vehicle as programmed, but an explosion in its liquid fuel system upon separation doomed the satellite. Martin Marietta and NOAA both convened review boards to investigate the failure. Both boards determined that Landsat 6 did not achieve orbit due to a ruptured hydrazine manifold, and recommended a task force to investigate hydrazine feed systems that were considered "safe and failure-free".[6][7]

References

  1. ^ "Landsat 6, 7". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  2. ^ "Landsat 6 History". landsat.usgs.gov. USGS. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Landsat-6". eoPortal Directory. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  4. ^ "Landsat-6". USGS. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Satellite Missions Catalogue: Landsat-6". eoPortal.org. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  6. ^ Piwowar, Joseph M. (2 September 2011). "The Satellite Morgue: Landsat 6". uregina.ca. Uregina. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Landsat 6: Missions and Sensors". sciencedirect.com. Science Direct. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
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Orbital launches in 1993
January
February
March
April
May
  • Kosmos 2245, Kosmos 2246, Kosmos 2247, Kosmos 2248, Kosmos 2249, Kosmos 2250
  • Astra 1C, Arsene
  • USA-91
  • Resurs-F2 No.9
  • Progress M-18
  • Molniya-1T No.81
  • Gorizont No.39L
June
July
August
September
October
November
  • Kosmos 2266
  • Kosmos 2267
  • Gorizont No.41L
  • Solidaridad 2, Meteosat 6
  • USA-97
December
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Cubesats are smaller.
Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).