AS-105
AS-105 lifted off from Cape Kennedy Launch Complex 37B at 08:00 EST on the 30th of July 1965. With that single launch, three separate programs reached their final chapter. SA-10, the rocket that carried it aloft, was the tenth and last Saturn I ever flown. The boilerplate Apollo spacecraft it carried was the last of its kind to reach orbit. And inside the service module rode the third and last Pegasus micrometeoroid detection satellite. What the mission was designed to prove, and what the Pegasus satellite was built to detect, are worth examining in detail.
A planned thirty-minute hold delayed lift-off just long enough to align the launch with the opening of the Pegasus satellite's orbital window. Once the hold ended, SA-10 performed normally and the payload reached orbit approximately 10.7 minutes after lift-off. The total mass placed in orbit was 34,438 pounds (15,621 kilograms). This figure included the boilerplate spacecraft, the Pegasus hardware, the adapter, the instrument unit, and the S-IV upper stage.
The primary objective of the flight was to continue demonstrating the Saturn I's iterative guidance mode and to evaluate its accuracy. SA-10 was configured similarly to its two immediate predecessors, AS-103 and AS-104. Like those earlier flights, the boilerplate service module on AS-105 carried a test installation of a reaction control engine package. The boilerplate spacecraft itself was designated BP-9A.
BP-9A separated cleanly at 812 seconds, and the separation and ejection system operated exactly as planned. Pegasus 3 had been stowed inside the boilerplate service module throughout the ascent, awaiting its own deployment.
Weighing 1423.6 kilograms (3138.6 pounds), Pegasus 3 had been bolted to the S-IV stage for the journey to orbit. The release command was initiated at 872 seconds of flight time, and the satellite deployed forty seconds after that command was given. Its purpose was to detect micrometeoroid strikes in Earth orbit.
The boilerplate BP-9A remained aloft after the mission concluded, eventually reentering on the 22nd of November 1975, roughly a decade after it first reached orbit.
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Common questions
When was AS-105 launched and from where?
AS-105 launched on the 30th of July 1965 from Cape Kennedy Launch Complex 37B at 08:00 EST. It was carried by SA-10, the tenth and final Saturn I rocket ever flown.
What was the primary mission objective of AS-105?
The primary objective of AS-105 was to continue demonstrating the Saturn I rocket's iterative guidance mode and to evaluate its accuracy. The flight also continued testing a reaction control engine package installed on the boilerplate service module.
What was Pegasus 3 and how was it deployed on AS-105?
Pegasus 3 was a 1423.6-kilogram micrometeoroid detection satellite. It was bolted to the S-IV stage and stowed inside the boilerplate service module for the ascent. The release command was initiated at 872 seconds of flight time, and the satellite deployed forty seconds after that command was given.
What was the total mass placed in orbit by AS-105?
The total mass placed in orbit by AS-105 was 34,438 pounds (15,621 kilograms). This figure included the boilerplate spacecraft, the Pegasus 3 satellite, the adapter, the instrument unit, and the S-IV upper stage.
Which boilerplate spacecraft flew on AS-105 and when did it reenter?
The boilerplate spacecraft on AS-105 was designated BP-9A. It remained in orbit after the mission concluded and reentered on the 22nd of November 1975, roughly a decade after launch.
How many Pegasus micrometeoroid satellites were launched before AS-105?
Two Pegasus satellites were launched before AS-105. Pegasus 3, carried on AS-105, was the third and final Pegasus micrometeoroid detection satellite launched on a Saturn I.
All sources
3 references cited across the entry
- 1Satellite CatalogJonathan McDowell
- 2Saturn IAstronautix
- 3Vibration and acoustic analyzes, Saturn SA-10 flightNASA — December 8, 1965