Jonathan's Space Pages

Launch 1962 Beta Tau: NRL Composite 2

Thor 365/Agena 23511962 Dec 13



Launch Result

Reached incorrect orbit; payloads deployed.

Launched Objects

COSPARJCAT Name AltName Owner Mass/kg
1962 Beta Tau 1S00502POPPY 1A NRO Mission 7101A (PL120) NRL 25
1962 Beta Tau 5S00513POPPY 1B NRO Mission 7101B (PL121) NRL 25
1962 Beta Tau 4S00508SURCAL II SURCAL II NRL 4
1962 Beta Tau 3S00507 CALSPHERE I Calsphere 1A NRL 1
1962 Beta Tau 2S00504 Injun 3 Injun 3 SUI 52
1962 Beta Tau 6A08428 Agena D 2351 Agena D 2351 AF 976
1962 Beta Tau 6S00520 WILD BILL 2 NRO Mission 7202 (AFTRACK) AF 5?

Notes

POPPY 1: Operated until late 1965. This rules out beta tau 3 which reentered in 1963. The remaining SSN names include two SURCAL, CALSPHERE and BLACK SPHERE. I suspect that BLACK SPHERE is just another name for CALSPHERE and so we have two duplicates (SURCAL 1 = SURCAL 1A and CALSPHERE = BLACK SPHERE). So any of beta tau 1, 4, 5 could be POPPY 1A/1B. The RAE tables give satellite size/mass info which, *if* correct, can be correlated with the NCST list to solve the puzzle: the POPPY satellites are beta tau 1 and 5.

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