SNAP-10A
Sign in to saveAlso known as Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power Shot, Snapshot, OPS 4682
SNAP-10A (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power, aka Snapshot for Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power Shot, also known as OPS 4682) was a US experimental nuclear powered satellite launched into space in 1965 as part of the SNAPSHOT program. The test marked both the world's first operation of a nuclear reactor in orbit, and the first operation of an ion thruster system in orbit. It is the only fission reactor power system launched into space by the United States. The reactor stopped working after just 43 days due to a non-nuclear electrical component failure. The Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power Program
Key facts
- Spaceflight.name
- SNAP-10A (SNAPSHOT)
- Spaceflight.image
- SNAP 10A Space Nuclear Power Plant.jpg
- Spaceflight.image_size
- 180px
- Spaceflight.image_caption
- Image of SNAP 10A Space Nuclear Power Plant
- Spaceflight.mission_type
- Engineering
- Spaceflight.operator
- USAF
- Spaceflight.COSPAR_ID
- 1965-027A
- Spaceflight.mission_duration
- 43 days (achieved) (in orbit)
- Spaceflight.manufacturer
- Atomics International
- Spaceflight.launch_rocket
- Atlas-Agena D
- Spaceflight.launch_site
- Vandenberg AFB, PALC2-4
- Spaceflight.last_contact
- 16 May 1965
- Spaceflight.orbit_epoch
- 3 April 1965
- Spaceflight.orbit_reference
- Geocentric
- Spaceflight.orbit_regime
- Low Earth
- Spaceflight.orbit_inclination
- 90.2°
- Spaceflight.orbit_eccentricity
- 0.00319
- Spaceflight.orbit_period
- 111.4 minutes
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 440
- Image
- SNAP 10A Space Nuclear Power Plant.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Snapshot (satellite)
- UTC date of spacecraft launch
- 1965-04-03
Sources (1)
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Article
10 sectionsContents
- History
- Construction
- SNAPSHOT mission
- Launch and orbital operation
- Ion propulsion
- Safety
- Related work and follow-on programs
- See also
- References
- External links
SNAP-10A (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power, aka Snapshot for Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power Shot, also known as OPS 4682) was a US experimental nuclear powered satellite launched into space in 1965 as part of the SNAPSHOT program. The test marked both the world's first operation of a nuclear reactor in orbit, and the first operation of an ion thruster system in orbit. It is the only fission reactor power system launched into space by the United States. The reactor stopped working after just 43 days due to a non-nuclear electrical component failure. The Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power Program reactor was specifically developed for satellite use in the 1950s and early 1960s under the supervision of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.
==History==