AntarikshPedia
Ariel 1

1957–1969: Opening the Space Age

Ariel 1

First British satellite; conducted ionospheric research.

Era 1 of 6 · full record in the catalog

Launch
year known only: 1962
Lead / partner
United Kingdom / United States
Target
Earth orbit
Category
Ionospheric science
Status
Success
Vehicle
Thor DM-19 Delta
Mass
unknown
Orbit / trajectory
Geocentric

Why it happened

Ariel 1 flew during 1957–1969: Opening the Space Age, as part of United Kingdom / United States's work toward earth orbit. A sourced write-up of the context around this mission is still on the editorial queue; nothing here is invented to fill the gap.

The mission

The full narrative of this mission is pending research and writing. What is recorded so far: First British satellite; conducted ionospheric research.

Results

First British satellite; conducted ionospheric research.

Related missions

Ariel 1 OSO 1 — same_target OSO 1 Vostok 1 — same_target Vostok 1 Syncom 2 — same_target Syncom 2 Korabl-Sputnik 2 — same_target Korabl-Sputni…

OSO 1

Success

United States · 1962

Sources & image credits

  • Ryan Somma, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · license: cc-by-sa-2.0 (source, checked 2026-08-24)
  • Mission record: AntarikshPedia canonical dataset (data-sources/missions_timeline.md)
  • Specifications reference: NASA NSSDCA Master Catalog