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Events on March 1 in history

Envisat
2002Mar, 1

The Envisat environmental satellite successfully reaches an orbit 800 kilometers (500 mi) above the Earth on its 11th launch, carrying the heaviest payload to date at 8500 kilograms (8.5 tons).

Envisat ("Environmental Satellite") is a large inactive Earth-observing satellite which is still in orbit and now considered a space debris. Operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), it was the world's largest civilian Earth observation satellite.It was launched on 1 March 2002 aboard an Ariane 5 from the Guyana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, into a Sun synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 790 ± 10 km. It orbits the Earth in about 101 minutes, with a repeat cycle of 35 days. After losing contact with the satellite on 8 April 2012, ESA formally announced the end of Envisat's mission on 9 May 2012.Envisat cost 2.3 billion Euro (including 300 million Euro for 5 years of operations) to develop and launch. The mission has been replaced by the Sentinel series of satellites. The first of these, Sentinel 1, has taken over the radar duties of Envisat since its launch in 2014.

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Events on 2002

  • 16Jan

    Osama bin Laden

    The UN Security Council unanimously establishes an arms embargo and the freezing of assets of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and the remaining members of the Taliban.
  • 4Apr

    Angolan Civil War

    The Angolan government and UNITA rebels sign a peace treaty ending the Angolan Civil War.
  • 14Apr

    Hugo Chávez

    Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez returns to office two days after being ousted and arrested by the country's military.
  • 12May

    Fidel Castro

    Former US President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro, becoming the first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.
  • 20Aug

    Saddam Hussein

    A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin, Germany for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.