The UK-2/S-52 International Satellite

The S-52 (See Figure 1) is being built under the cooperative international program being conducted by the United States and the United Kingdom. In the U.K., University and Government, Laboratories designed and constructed the instrumentation for the S-52 experiments under the scientific direction of the British National Committee for Space Research. The Goddard Space Flight Center, for NASA, has overall U.S. responsibility for the program including the design, development, construction, and testing of the spacecraft as well as launching, tracking, and data acquisition phases. GSFC has contracted to Westinghouse the building of the spacecraft structure, the design and manufacture of certain satellite subsystems, the integration of all subsystems into an operating satellite, and assistance in environmental proof testing of completed satellites. The NASA Langley Research Center is responsible for the launch vehicle system. The launching will take place at Wallops Island, Va. during 1963 utilizing a Scout Vehicle. The satellite will be laumched into an orbit with an apogee of approximately 810 n.m., a perigee of approximately 150 n.m. and with an inclination of 51°.