STARAD

STARAD (STARfish RADiation) was a radiation-monitoring satellite used to track the artificial radiation belt created by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test.

STARAD

COSPAR ID	1962-058A
SATCAT no.	00444
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Air Force Cambridge Research Lab
Start of mission
Launch date	26 October 1962 (1962-10-26)
Rocket	Thor Augmented Delta-Agena D[1]
End of mission
Last contact	18 January 1963
Decay date	5 October 1967 (1967-10-06)

Background

On 9 July 1962, decay of debris the Starfish Prime nuclear test utccreated an unexpected increase in high-energy particles in the Earth's magnetic field. Scientists were not sure how long the radiation and its effects would last. The Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory was asked to design and build STARAD to study the radiation.^[2]

Build and launch

The STARAD vehicle was designed and built in sixty days and was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on 26 October 1962.^[2] It was equipped with nine radiation-measuring instruments.^[3]

Results

The STARAD data showed that the radiation from the Starfish test was decaying much slower than expected^[2] and that there was little decrease in radiation after the satellite's launch. It also detected radiation from two Soviet nuclear tests conducted after its launch.^[3] The satellite's spin allowed scientists to measure Pitch angle distributions. ^[4]

The satellite's existence was kept secret for some time, as were the conclusions that the artificial radiation belt could last ten years or longer. The unfavorable conclusions worsened existing criticism of the Starfish test among the scientific community.^[5][6]