COSPAR ID 1995-033B Bus SSTL-70 Inclination 98.2413° Launch mass 50 kg | SATCAT no. 23606 Inclination 98.2413° Launch mass 50 kg Launch date 7 July 1995 | |
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Mission type Military reconnaissance Dimensions 0.6 × 0.3 × 0.3 m (1.97 × 0.98 × 0.98 ft) Similar Proteus, Athena‑Fidus, MICROSCOPE, Astérix, Parasol | ||
Cerise (French for "cherry") was a French military reconnaissance satellite. Its main purpose was to intercept HF radio signals for French intelligence services. With a mass of 50 kg, it was launched by an Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana at 17:23 UT, 7 July 1995. Cerise's initial orbital parameters were period 98.1 min, apogee 675 km, perigee 666 km, and inclination 98.0 deg.
It was hit by a catalogued space debris object from an Ariane rocket in 1996, making it the first verified case of an accidental collision between two artificial objects in space.
The collision tore off a 2.8-2.9 metre (9.2-9.5 foot) portion of Cerise's gravity-gradient stabilization boom, which left the satellite severely damaged.
References
Cerise (satellite) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA