TIROS 8 (A-53), a NASA Television Infrared Observation Satellite weather spacecraft and the first to fly Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) for direct cloud-image readout. Thor Delta B from Cape Canaveral LC-17B placed it in near-polar LEO on 21 December 1963.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- SSO
- Sun-synchronous orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 122 kg
- Flight
- 7th
- of 9 Thor Delta B flights
- Date and time
- 21 December 1963, 09:30 UTC
- Rocket
- Thor Delta B
- Builder
- McDonnell Douglas
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
- Payload
- Earth Science
- International designator
- 1963-054
- Launches in 1963
- 68th of 69
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas