Landsat 6

Landsat 6
Mission type	Earth imaging
Operator	NASA / NOAA
COSPAR ID	1993-F04
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Martin Marietta
Launch mass	2,750 kilograms (6,060 lb)
Power	1259 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	October 5, 1993
Rocket	Titan II(23)G/Star-37XFP-ISS
Launch site	Vandenberg AFB SLC-4W
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Sun-synchronous
Perigee altitude	705 kilometres (438 mi)
Apogee altitude	705 kilometres (438 mi)
Inclination	98.3°
Period	98.9 minutes
Epoch	Planned

Landsat 6, equipped with upgraded versions of the instruments on Landsat 5, was designed to carry forward the Landsat program. It was launched on October 5, 1993, with a Titan II launch vehicle, but failed to reach orbit. Landsat 6 omitted the Multi-Spectral Scanner found on its predecessors, but carried an Enhanced Thematic Mapper, which improved on the previous Thematic Mapper by adding a 15m-resolution panchromatic band.^[2]

Development

The Landsat 6 satellite was built by Martin Marietta Astro Space.^[3]

Design

Operations

The satellite was constructed from aluminum and used graphite struts. Landsat 6 had a hydrazine propulsion system. The spacecraft was powered by one solar array that had single-axis articulation and produced 1430 W. The power was stored in two NiCd batteries that had a capacity of 100 Ah. Data collected from the sensors was stored on tapes and transmitted to ground stations at 85 Mbit/s. The satellite was stabilized to 0.1 degrees in all three axes by using reaction wheels.^[3]

Sensors

The Enhanced Thematic Mapper was designed and manufactured by Santa Barbara Research Center.^[4]

Mission

Launch

Landsat 6 was launched aboard a Titan II launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base on October 5, 1993.^[5]

Operations

Landsat 6 separated from the Titan II launch vehicle as programmed, but an explosion in its liquid fuel system upon separation doomed the satellite. Martin Marietta and NOAA both convened review boards to investigate the failure. Both boards determined that Landsat 6 did not achieve orbit due to a ruptured hydrazine manifold, and recommended a task force to investigate hydrazine feed systems that were considered "safe and failure-free".^[6]^[7]

References

^ "Landsat 6, 7". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
^ "Landsat 6 History". landsat.usgs.gov. USGS. Archived from the original on 2017-09-18. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Landsat-6". eoPortal Directory. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
^ "Landsat-6". USGS. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
^ "Satellite Missions Catalogue: Landsat-6". eoPortal.org. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
^ Piwowar, Joseph M. (2 September 2011). "The Satellite Morgue: Landsat 6". uregina.ca. Uregina. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
^ "Landsat 6: Missions and Sensors". sciencedirect.com. Science Direct. Archived from the original on 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.