Orba (satellite)

Orba, also known as X-2, was intended to be the first satellite launched by a British rocket. It was launched at 00:34 GMT on 2 September 1970, atop a Black Arrow rocket from Launch Area 5B at Woomera, but failed to reach orbit after the second stage of the carrier rocket shut down 13 seconds early.^[1] Orba was built from spare parts due to funding restrictions,^[2] and was to have been used to measure upper atmosphere density by monitoring the decay of its orbit.^[3]

Orba

Mission type	Atmospheric
Operator	RAE
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Start of mission
Launch date	2 September 1970, 00:34:05 (1970-09-02UTC00:34:05Z) UTC
Rocket	Black Arrow R2
Launch site	Woomera LA-5B
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Epoch	Planned

See also

• Spaceflight portal

• Prospero X-3
• Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

References

1. Wade, Mark. "Black Arrow". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
2. Hill, Nicholas. "Black Arrow". A Vertical Empire. Space UK. Archived from the original on 24 March 2003. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
3. Krebs, Gunter. "Orba (X 2)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 28 October 2008.