Pioneer Venus Orbiter
Pioneer Venus Orbiter
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| Mission type | Venus orbiter |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / ARC |
| COSPAR ID | 1978-051A |
| SATCAT № | 10911 |
| Website | Pioneer Venus at NASA |
| Mission duration | 14 years, 4 months, 18 days (from launch) 13 years, 10 months, 4 days (at Venus) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | HS-507 |
| Manufacturer | Hughes |
| Launch mass | 582 kg (1,283 lb) |
| Power | 312 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | May 20, 1978, 13:13:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-36A |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | October 8, 1992, 19:22 UTC |
| Decay date | October 22, 1992 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Cytherocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 33,405.8 kilometres (20,757.4 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.842 |
| Pericytherion | 181.6 kilometers (112.8 mi) |
| Apocytherion | 66,630 kilometers (41,400 mi) |
| Inclination | 105 degrees |
| Period | 24 hours |
| Venus orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | December 4, 1978 |
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter, also known as Pioneer Venus 1 or Pioneer 12, was a mission to Venus conducted as part of the Pioneer Venus project. Launched in May 1978 atop an Atlas-Centaur rocket, the spacecraft was inserted into an elliptical orbit around Venus on December 4, 1978. It returned data on Venus until October 1992.
The Pioneer Venus Orbiter was launched by an Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1AR rocket, which flew from Launch Complex 36A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 13:13:00 on May 20, 1978, and deployed the Orbiter into heliocentric orbit for its coast to Venus. Venus orbit insertion occurred on December 4, 1978.
Manufactured by Hughes Aircraft Company, the Pioneer Venus Orbiter was based on the HS-507 bus. The spacecraft was a flat cylinder, 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) in diameter and 1.2 meters (3.9 ft) long. All instruments and spacecraft subsystems were mounted on the forward end of the cylinder, except the magnetometer, which was at the end of a 4.7 meters (15 ft) boom. A solar array extended around the circumference of the cylinder. A 1.09 metres (3 ft 7 in) despun dish antenna provided S and X band communication with Earth. A Star-24 solid rocket motor was integrated into the spacecraft to provide the thrust to enter orbit around Venus.
From Venus orbit insertion to July 1980, periapsis was held between 142 and 253 kilometres (88 and 157 mi) (at 17 degrees north latitude) to facilitate radar and ionospheric measurements. The spacecraft was in a 24-hour orbit with an apoapsis of 66,900 kilometers (41,600 mi). Thereafter, the periapsis was allowed to rise to a maximum of 2,290 kilometres (1,420 mi) and then fall, to conserve fuel.
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