LES-2
LES-2 prior to launch | |
| Mission type | Communications satellite |
|---|---|
| Operator | USAF |
| COSPAR ID | 1965-034B |
| SATCAT no. | 01360 |
| Mission duration | In Orbit: 60 years, 1 month and 11 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Lincoln Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 37 kg (82 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 6 May 1965, 15:00:03 UTC |
| Rocket | Titan IIIA |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC20 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.39527 |
| Perigee altitude | 2,799 km (1,739 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 14,802 km (9,198 mi) |
| Inclination | 32.2° |
| Period | 309.90 minutes |
| Epoch | 2 May 1965 |
Lincoln Experimental Satellite 2, also known as LES-2, was a communications satellite, the second of nine in the Lincoln Experimental Satellite. Launched by the United States Air Force (USAF) on 6 May 1965, it demonstrated many then-advanced technologies including active use of the military's SHF (super high frequency) band (7 to 8 GHz) to service hundreds of users.