Small French science and technology satellites used on early Diamant launch vehicle tests.

Typical orbit: 402 x 1281 km, 35.4 deg inclinaton. Associated Launch Vehicle: Diamant A, Diamant B, Diamant BP.4.

• 1966 February 17 - Diapason - Launch Site: Hammaguira. Launch Vehicle: Diamant A. Mass: 19 kg (41 lb). Perigee: 502 km (311 mi). Apogee: 2,484 km (1,543 mi). Inclination: 34.10 deg. Period: 115.80 min.

  Scientific satellite 'D-I' launched from Hammaguir (Algeria).

• 1971 April 15 - Tournesol - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant B. Mass: 96 kg (211 lb). Perigee: 457 km (283 mi). Apogee: 696 km (432 mi). Inclination: 46.30 deg. Period: 96.20 min.

• 1971 December 5 - D-2A Polaire - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant B. FAILURE: Second stage failed.

• 1973 May 21 - Castor (D 5A) - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant B. FAILURE: Failure - fairing did not jettison.

• 1973 May 21 - Pollux - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant B. FAILURE: Failure - fairing did not jettison.

• 1975 May 17 - Castor - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant BP.4. Mass: 77 kg (169 lb). Perigee: 277 km (172 mi). Apogee: 1,275 km (792 mi). Inclination: 29.90 deg. Period: 100.30 min.

  D5A: Weight 36 kg. Testing in space of a hydrazine catalytic decomposition micropropulsion unit. Responsible organization: Societe Europeene de Propulsion. D5B: Weight 76 kg. Testing in space of the CACTUS accelerometer (ultrasensitive triaxial capacitive accelerometric sensor). Responsible organization: ONERA, Chatillon-sous-Berneux, France.

• 1975 May 17 - Pollux - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant BP.4. Mass: 35 kg (77 lb). Perigee: 299 km (185 mi). Apogee: 1,256 km (780 mi). Inclination: 30.00 deg. Period: 100.40 min.

  D5A: Weight 36 kg. Testing in space of a hydrazine catalytic decomposition micropropulsion unit. Responsible organization: Societe Europeene de Propulsion. D5B: Weight 76 kg. Testing in space of the CACTUS accelerometer (ultrasensitive triaxial capacitive accelerometric sensor). Responsible organization: ONERA, Chatillon-sous-Berneux, France.

• 1975 September 27 - Aura - Launch Site: Kourou. Launch Vehicle: Diamant BP.4. Mass: 115 kg (253 lb). Perigee: 476 km (295 mi). Apogee: 697 km (433 mi). Inclination: 37.10 deg. Period: 96.50 min.

  Solar UV radiation experiments. Study of solar and stellar ultraviolet radiation. 1. Spectral analysis of small and large sources located close to the plane of the ecliptic. Responsible organization: Laboratoire d'Astronomie Spatiale, Traverse du Siphon, 13000- Marseille (France). 2. St udy of solar ultraviolet radiation and its absorption by the earth's atmosphere. Responsible organization: Laboratoire de Physique Stellaire et Planetaire, Meudon, France. Weight 106.6 kg.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• Bramscher, Robert G, Spaceflight, "A Survey of Launch Vehicle Failures", 1980, Volume 22, page 351.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited since Sputnik. Accessed at: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.