Helios-A
Titan IIIE
Lockheed Martin
Mission
Helios-A
- Type: Heliophysics
- Orbit: Heliocentric N/A
Helios-A and Helios-B (also known as Helios 1 and Helios 2), are a pair of probes launched into heliocentric orbit for the purpose of studying solar processes. A joint venture of West Germany’s space agency DFVLR (70% share) and NASA (30%), the probes were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on December 10, 1974, and January 15, 1976, respectively. Built by Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm as the main contractor, they were the first spaceprobes built outside the United States or Soviet Union.
Location
Rocket
Agency
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin’s Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM’s in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA’s return to the moon in 2024.