TIROS 3

About This Satellite

TIROS-3 launched on July 12, 1961 to develop weather observation from orbit. It carried two wide-angle television cameras, replacing the mixed wide- and narrow-view approach of its predecessors. Its observations helped turn cloud patterns over remote oceans into information that weather forecasters could use.

Tape recorders bridged gaps between ground contacts

Each camera had a magnetic tape recorder so pictures could be stored outside the ground network's receiving range. Recording a scene and delivering it to a forecaster were therefore separate steps. A location under the satellite did not automatically have an immediate local broadcast of the newest picture.

One camera failure did not end the imaging mission

NASA reports that one camera failed twelve days into flight, while the other continued producing useful storm imagery. The spacecraft also carried one scanning and two non-scanning radiometers for radiation measurements. Those readings complemented cloud photographs; they should not be presented as three additional television cameras or a direct measurement of surface wind speed.

Mission reference: NASA: TIROS-3 camera configuration, radiometers and flight history. Editorial review: 2026-09-14.

Esther was recognized through several kinds of evidence

NOAA's storm history describes TIROS III imaging disturbed weather southwest of Cabo Verde on September 10, 1961. Satellite and ship observations confirmed a circulation the next day; reconnaissance aircraft found hurricane-force winds on September 12. This sequence explains the satellite's discovery role without implying that a single cloud picture supplied every fact needed to classify the hurricane. Space, sea, and airborne observations strengthened the interpretation together.

Reference: NOAA AOML: satellite detection and subsequent confirmation of Hurricane Esther.

This was not a fixed view from geostationary orbit

WMO lists TIROS-3 in a drifting low Earth orbit with a nominal inclination of 47.9 degrees, not above a fixed equatorial longitude. Its equatorial crossing time changed, unlike the repeated local-time sampling sought by a Sun-synchronous mission. WMO records the spacecraft as inactive, with a February 27, 1962 end-of-life entry. That service-history entry is not a reentry date, and the nominal orbit is not a current position.

Reference: WMO OSCAR: TIROS-3 orbit classification and historical operational status.

Reading this orbital snapshot

Based on TLE epoch: 2026-09-05. Estimated altitude ranges from 709 km at perigee to 772 km at apogee, a difference of 63 km. The orbital period is about 99.6 minutes. Eccentricity 0.00441 indicates a nearly circular path. In a two-body approximation, perigee speed is 1.01 times apogee speed. These are mean-element estimates, not instantaneous measurements. Distance per orbit uses an ellipse approximation.

Saved build snapshot. If a valid TLE is retrieved, this explanation and the orbit panel update together. Otherwise this dated snapshot is retained.

Ground track is not sensor coverage

An inclination of 47.90 degrees implies approximate geocentric ground-track limits of 47.9 degrees north and south. This is a prograde orbit, moving in the same general direction as Earth rotation. The plotted line marks the point beneath the object. It does not represent camera coverage, radio reception, or a guaranteed visible pass.

Accuracy and missing information

The introductory record describes the build snapshot. The orbital snapshot explanation and orbit panel share any successfully retrieved TLE; check the displayed epoch. Reentered objects retain historical data only. Mission history is not rewritten by TLE updates. TLE/SGP4 positions are predictions and can change after maneuvers or updated observations. The 14-day stale-data cutoff is a display safeguard, not an accuracy guarantee. Local passes are geometric predictions, not a visibility forecast. No verified operator or mission status means unknown, not active. Do not use this catalog for collision avoidance or operational flight decisions.

Catalog sources: CelesTrak SATCAT: NORAD 162 · GCAT: S00162 (source update 2026 Sep 4 2345:57). Supplementary metadata: SatNOGS DB, retrieved 2026-09-05T12:57:25.375Z. Page assembled 2026-09-15. GCAT phase codes describe trajectory phases, not mission health.

Learn more: TLE data · Perigee and apogee · Ground tracks · JOT (Jewawud Live Orbital Map)

Satellite Details