Alouette 2

Alouette 2 is a Canadian research satellite. It involves the replacement copy of Alouette 1, the first satellite of Canada, which was launched in September 1962.

As Alouette 1 was launched into space by a U.S. rocket from NASA's launch site in California Vandenberg Alouette 2. The launch took place together with the research satellite Explorer 31 In contrast to Alouette 1, the orbit of Alouette 2 was, however, strongly elliptic. Compared with Alouette 1 had extended one of the two antennas from 46 to 73 m and puts the satellite into a faster rotation of 2.25 revolutions per minute, for the Rotationsgeschwindigleit of Alouette 1 was decreased unexpectedly fast.

The task of Alouette 2 was to study the ionosphere. The satellite had no data storage, so that the readings could be transmitted only when he was in sight of a ground station. The results were correlated with those of Explorer 31. First was eight hours a day is recorded for later time reduced due to energy problems on a daily basis for 30 minutes. In July 1975, the satellite was decommissioned and only at 28-29. November 1975 for its 10 -year anniversary briefly switched on again.