Minitrack system

E406324

The Minitrack system was an early ground-based satellite tracking network developed in the 1950s to detect and follow the radio signals of Earth-orbiting spacecraft.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Minitrack system canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf ground-based tracking network
radio tracking system
satellite tracking system
basedOn phase comparison of radio signals
radio interferometry
countryOfOrigin United States
dataOutput satellite position measurements
tracking pass records
designedBy Naval Research Laboratory engineers
developedInPeriod 1950s
developer U.S. Navy
linked to: United States Navy

United States Naval Research Laboratory
era early space age
followedBy more advanced satellite tracking networks
frequencyBand very high frequency band
hasComponent chain of ground stations
interferometer antenna arrays
historicalSignificance contributed to early space age tracking infrastructure
pioneered techniques for satellite orbit determination
inception mid-1950s
limitation could not track non-emitting objects
required cooperative satellite transmitters
locationDistribution stations along approximately north–south line
stations spanning the Western Hemisphere
networkType global tracking network
notableFor being one of the first operational satellite tracking networks
providing continuous satellite tracking coverage along a chain of stations
operatedBy U.S. Navy
linked to: United States Navy

United States Naval Research Laboratory
operationalRole provided tracking data for orbit determination teams
partOf early U.S. space tracking network
precededBy radio tracking experiments for sounding rockets
replacedBy Space Surveillance Network
later U.S. satellite tracking systems
requiredPayload satellite radio beacon
signalTypeTracked VHF radio signals
startDate 1950s
supportedProgram Vanguard program
early U.S. satellite program
technologyType ground-based radio technology
tracked Vanguard 1
early U.S. Earth-orbiting satellites
trackingMethod passive radio tracking
usedDuring International Geophysical Year
usedFor detecting satellite radio signals
determining satellite orbits
tracking artificial Earth satellites

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Vanguard program usedTrackingSystem Minitrack system