SURCAL

Class: Calibration. Destination: Medium Earth Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy.

SURveillance CALibration (SURCAL) satellites were produced in cooperation with the NRL group that had designed and developed the Naval Space Surveillance (NAVSPASUR) system. The satellites provided objects with known shapes, masses, and dimensions, thereby providing a means to calibrate the space tracking system. NAVSPASUR was the successor to NRL's innovative Vanguard tracking system, the Minitrack. Launched between 1962 and 1965, the SURCALs were built in different shapes and sizes.

Typical orbit: 748 x 1163 km, 71.5 deg inclinaton. Associated Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star, Thor Agena D, Thorad Agena D SLV-2G.

SURCAL Chronology

1962 December 13 - SURCAL 2A - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 3.00 kg (6.60 lb). Perigee: 222 km (137 mi). Apogee: 2,762 km (1,716 mi). Inclination: 70.20 deg. Period: 115.80 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1962 December 13 - SURCAL 1A - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 37 kg (81 lb). Perigee: 227 km (141 mi). Apogee: 2,160 km (1,340 mi). Inclination: 70.30 deg. Period: 109.30 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1962 January 24 - Surcal - Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. FAILURE: Failure.

1963 June 15 - SURCAL 1B - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 3.00 kg (6.60 lb). Perigee: 172 km (106 mi). Apogee: 802 km (498 mi). Inclination: 69.90 deg. Period: 94.40 min.
Surveillance Calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1965 August 13 - SURCAL 5 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. Perigee: 1,083 km (672 mi). Apogee: 1,196 km (743 mi). Inclination: 90.00 deg. Period: 108.11 min.

1965 August 13 - Long Rod - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. Perigee: 1,090 km (670 mi). Apogee: 1,194 km (741 mi). Inclination: 90.00 deg. Period: 108.10 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1965 March 9 - SURCAL 2B - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 5.00 kg (11.00 lb). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Apogee: 947 km (588 mi). Inclination: 70.10 deg. Period: 103.50 min.
Surveillance Calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1967 May 31 - Surcal 160 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 2.00 kg (4.40 lb). Perigee: 923 km (573 mi). Apogee: 927 km (576 mi). Inclination: 69.90 deg. Period: 103.50 min.
20 inch dia. calibration sphere. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1967 May 31 - Surcal (152) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Apogee: 910 km (560 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.10 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1967 May 31 - Surcal (153) - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Perigee: 905 km (562 mi). Apogee: 912 km (566 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.20 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1967 May 31 - SURCAL 150B - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. Mass: 2.00 kg (4.40 lb). Perigee: 805 km (500 mi). Apogee: 816 km (507 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 101.10 min.
16 inch dia. calibration sphere. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1969 September 30 - Surcal - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. Perigee: 898 km (557 mi). Apogee: 925 km (574 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.20 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1969 September 30 - Surcal - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. Perigee: 899 km (558 mi). Apogee: 925 km (574 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.30 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1969 September 30 - Surcal - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. Perigee: 893 km (554 mi). Apogee: 918 km (570 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.10 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

1969 September 30 - Surcal - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. Perigee: 899 km (558 mi). Apogee: 928 km (576 mi). Inclination: 70.00 deg. Period: 103.30 min.
Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).

Bibliography and Further Reading

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.

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.

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

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

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