CAT-1

Not to be confused with Cat(1) or Cat 1 (album).

CAT-1 (also Technological Capsule 1,^[2] also Obélix^[3]) was the first artificial Earth satellite launched by the European Space Agency on their own rocket, the Ariane 1. It was only intended to provide data on the launch characteristics of the new rocket and was only powered for 8 orbits.^[4]

CAT-1

Mission type	Vehicle evaluation
Operator	ESA
COSPAR ID	1979-104A
SATCAT no.	11645
Mission duration	8 orbits
Spacecraft properties
Launch mass	1,602 kilograms (3,532 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	December 24, 1979, 17:14:38 (1979-12-24UTC17:14:38Z) UTC
Rocket	Ariane 1
Launch site	Kourou ELA-1
End of mission
Last contact	28 December 1979 (1979-12-29)
Decay date	27 November 1989
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Geostationary transfer
Perigee altitude	182 kilometres (113 mi)
Apogee altitude	35,824 kilometres (22,260 mi)
Inclination	17.6 degrees
Period	631.45 minutes
Epoch	23 January 1980[1]