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Landsat 1
First satellite of the United States' Landsat program, active 1972–78 / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"LS-1" redirects here. For other uses, see LS1.
Landsat 1 (LS-1), formerly named ERTS-A and ERTS-1, was the first satellite of the United States' Landsat program. It was a modified version of the Nimbus 4 meteorological satellite and was launched on July 23, 1972, by a Delta 900 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
![]() Landsat 1 in flight configuration with solar panels deployed after tests at the G.E. Valley Forge Plant. | |
Mission type | Earth imaging |
---|---|
Operator | NASA |
COSPAR ID | 1972-058A ![]() |
SATCAT no. | 06126[1] |
Mission duration | 5 years, 5 months and 14 days |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | GE Aerospace |
Launch mass | 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | July 23, 1972 (1972-07-23) |
Rocket | Delta 900 |
Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-2W |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Decommissioned |
Deactivated | January 6, 1978 (1978-01-07) |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Sun-synchronous |
Semi-major axis | 7,280 kilometres (4,520 mi) |
Perigee altitude | 902 kilometers (560 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 917 kilometers (570 mi) |
Inclination | 99.1 degrees |
Period | 117.04 minutes |
Epoch | August 26, 1972[2] |
Close
It was the first satellite to carry a Multispectral Scanner.
The near-polar orbiting spacecraft served as a stabilized, Earth-oriented platform for obtaining information on agricultural and forestry resources, geology and mineral resources, hydrology and water resources, geography, cartography, environmental pollution, oceanography and marine resources, and meteorological phenomena.