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ArianespaceLaunch SuccessfulEarth ScienceAriane 42P
Launched 1992-08-10 23:08:07 UTCAriane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Success
Reached Low Earth Orbit
Worldwide
53rd
orbital launch attempt in 1992
Arianespace
4th
launch this year
Ariane Launch Area 2
4th
launch from this pad this year
Pad turnaround
32 d
since the pad's previous launch
The TOPEX/POSEIDON satellite was launched on 10 August 1992 with the objective of "observing and understanding the ocean circulation". A joint project between NASA, the U.S. space agency, and CNES, the French space agency, it carries two radar altimeters and precise orbit determination systems, including the DORIS system. KITSAT-1 (Korean Institute of Technology Satellite) was a collaborative research mission, encompassing the installation of a groundstation in South Korea, participation of Korean engineers in the UoSAT-5 mission, technology transfer and training of students on the MSc courses at Surrey, and the involvement in a engineering and flight microsatellites. The S80/T satellite was built for CNES by Matra Marconi Space using the Surrey Satellite Technology Microbus (Uosat) bus.

Arianespace SA is a multinational company founded in 1980 as the world's first commercial launch service provider. It undertakes the production, operation, and marketing of the Ariane programme. Their vehicles launch exclusively from French Guiana in South America.
Launches
328
Successful
313
95%
Upcoming
51
scheduled
Height
55.9m
Diameter
3.8m
To low Earth orbit
6,000kg
Liftoff thrust
3,944kN
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