OAO 2
Orbiting Astronomical Observatory 2, launched in 1968, was one of the earliest successful space observatories dedicated to astronomy above Earth's atmosphere. It made ultraviolet observations that were difficult or impossible from the ground and helped prove the scientific value of placing telescopes in orbit.
Object identity
- NORAD ID
- 03597
- COSPAR ID
- 1968-110A
- Operator
- Not listed
- Country
- Not listed
- Launch date
- Not listed
Immediate discovery
Why this satellite matters
Its history is a precursor to observatories such as Hubble: remove atmospheric absorption and turbulence, then solve the new problems of pointing, power, communications and thermal control in orbit.
Understanding the mission
Science and engineering ideas
Its history is a precursor to observatories such as Hubble: remove atmospheric absorption and turbulence, then solve the new problems of pointing, power, communications and thermal control in orbit.
Mission
Mission and purpose
The current public orbital catalog identifies this object, but verified mission-specific information may be limited. TransitSatellite will expand this page when authoritative information is available.
- Its history is a precursor to observatories such as Hubble: remove atmospheric absorption and turbulence, then solve the new problems of pointing, power, communications and thermal control in orbit.
Design
Engineering
Its history is a precursor to observatories such as Hubble: remove atmospheric absorption and turbulence, then solve the new problems of pointing, power, communications and thermal control in orbit.
Real orbital values
The mathematics
The current two-line element set reports approximately 14.4738 revolutions per day. Dividing 1,440 minutes by that value gives an estimated orbital period of 99.5 minutes.
Period
99.5 min
Representative speed
26,950 km/h
Representative altitude
741 km
Inclination
34.99°
Launch record
Launch and deployment
OAO-2 launched on 7 December 1968 aboard an Atlas-Centaur from Cape Kennedy.
Orbit
LEO orbit explained
Low Earth orbit is the region closest to Earth used by most crewed spacecraft, many science missions, Earth-observation satellites, and large constellations. Objects move quickly and commonly complete an orbit in roughly 90 to 130 minutes.
LEO can provide detailed Earth views, lower communications delay, and easier access than higher orbits, but it covers less area per spacecraft and is more affected by atmospheric drag.
Live TransitSatellite experience
See OAO 2 moving now
Open the live tracker to view its current calculated position, trajectory, orbital information, visibility tools, and Save and Share controls.
Learning
Questions to explore
- What can an orbit tell us before the mission is fully identified?
- Why are stable catalog identifiers important?
Evidence
Sources and data notes
Current identity and orbital elements come from CelesTrak’s public GP data. Calculated orbit values are derived from the current TLE and may change after catalog updates. Mission-history claims are added separately and require authoritative sources.
Catalog updated
Sep 17, 2026, 1:04 AM UTC
Story review
1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z