Vanguard 1 is the first artificial satellite powered by solar energy. It was launched on March 17, 1958, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United States. In total, the satellite has six silicon solar cells with an installed capacity of approximately 1 W. Vanguard 1 needed electrical power to operate its two radio transmitters.
One transmitter was a 108 MHz transmitter that operated for 20 days on a battery, and the other was a 108,3 MHz radio frequency that was powered by solar energy and transmitted for more than six years. The satellite also had two thermistors, which measured the change in temperature of the satellite's body as it moved from sunlight to Earth's shadow and back again.
The information obtained during the six years that the satellite operated on solar power was enough for scientists to determine new information about the shape of the Earth. Today, Vanguard 1 is no longer in operation, but continues to orbit the Earth's atmosphere.
The satellite was designed to test the launch capability of a three-stage vehicle as part of Project Vanguard and test the environmental effects of space on its systems during its operation in Earth orbit.
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