Explorer 28
 | |
| Operator | NASA |
|---|---|
| COSPAR ID | 1965-042A |
| SATCAT no. | 01388 |
| Website | [1] |
| Mission duration | ~2 Years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Dry mass | 58 kilograms (128 lb) |
| Power | Solar Panels |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 May 1965 |
| Rocket | Delta |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 12 May 1967 |
| Decay date | 4 July 1968[1] |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | LEO |
| Eccentricity | 0.71617 |
| Perigee altitude | 32,290 km (20,060 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 227,456 km (141,335 mi) |
| Inclination | 53.6° |
| Period | 107.6 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| Radio Beacon, Langmuir probe | |
Explorer 28 (or IMP-C) was a satellite launched in May 1965 to study space physics, and was the third spacecraft launched in the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform program. It was powered by chemical batteries and solar panels. There were 7 experiments on board, all devoted to particle studies. Performance was normal until mid-April 1967, when intermittent problems began. It stayed in contact until May 12, 1967, when contact was lost. The orbit decayed until it re-entered the atmosphere on July 4, 1968.[2] The spacecraft design was similar to its predecessors Explorer 18 (IMP-A), launched in 1963, and Explorer 21 (IMP-B), launched in 1964, though this satellite was a few kilograms lighter. The successor Explorer 33 (IMP-D) began the use of a new design.[3]
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