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 ⓘ