Sphinx (satellite)

American test satellite

Sphinx

The Sphinx satellite in 1972

Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type| Satellite
Manufacturer| NASA
Dry mass| 113 kg[1]
Start of mission
Launch date| February 11, 1974
Rocket| Titan IIIE Centaur
Launch site| Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 41
End of mission
Destroyed| T+748 seconds[2]

SPHINX (short for Space Plasma High Voltage Interaction Experiment) was a test satellite developed by NASA as the payload for the first Titan IIIE Centaur rocket. It was launched on February 11, 1974 alongside the Viking Dynamic Simulator (VDS), a dummy model of the Viking space probe that would eventually be sent to Mars.

## Background

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The satellite was designed to test high voltage electrical components and their interaction with plasma in the vacumn of space.[1] The satellite was spin stabilized, and was to be ejected from the VDS before completing its data readings.[3]

## Launch and destruction

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Further information: Titan IIIE § Flights

The launch of the satellite in the Titan IIIE rocket

The satellite was launched on the original test flight of the Titan IIIE-Centaur rocket, and was intended to be deployed after the third burn of the second stage Centaur engine with the payload in orbit. However, the Centaur engine failed to ignite and the ship began to rapidly fall. At this point, the range safety officer ordered the destruction of the rocket, destroying the satellite and VDS with it.[2]

Two additional satellites named Sphinx B and C were planned to be launched in the early 1980s, with Sphinx B being a repeat of the destroyed satellite.

## See also

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* Spaceflight portal

* Titan IIIE
* Centaur
* 1974 in spaceflight

## References

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1. ^ a b "SPHINX A, B, C". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
2. ^ a b Dawson, Virginia; Bowles, Mark (2004). Taming Liquid Hydrogen: The Centaur Upper Stage Rocket 1958-2002 (PDF). National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
3. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved February 14, 2017.

## External links

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* Entry at Encyclopedia Astronautica

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← 1973

Orbital launches in 1974

1975 →

* Kosmos 628
* Skynet 2A
* Kosmos 629
* Kosmos 630
* Kosmos 631
* Sphinx
* VDS
* Kosmos 632
* OPS 6889
* Tansei 2
* San Marco 4
* Kosmos 633
* Meteor-M No.30
* Kosmos 634
* Miranda
* Kosmos 635
* Nauka-17KS No.1L
* OPS 8579
* Kosmos 636
* Kosmos 637
* Kosmos 638
* Kosmos 639
* OPS 6245
* OPS 4547
* OPS 3935
* Kosmos 640
* Unnamed
* Westar 1
* Molniya-1-27
* Kosmos 641
* Kosmos 642
* Kosmos 643
* Kosmos 644
* Kosmos 645
* Kosmos 646
* Kosmos 647
* Kosmos 648
* Meteor-M No.22
* Molniya-2-9
* Kosmos 649
* Kosmos 650
* Kosmos 651
* Kosmos 652
* Kosmos 653
* Kosmos 654
* SMS-1
* Interkosmos 11
* Kosmos 655
* Yantar-2K No.1
* Kosmos 656
* Luna 22
* Kosmos 657
* ATS-6
* Explorer 52
* Kosmos 658
* OPS 1776
* Kosmos 659
* Kosmos 660
* Kosmos 661
* Salyut 3
* Kosmos 662
* Kosmos 663
* Kosmos 664
* Kosmos 665
* Soyuz 14
* Meteor-Priroda No.1
* DS-P1-Yu No.68
* Kosmos 666
* Unnamed
* OPS 7518
* Aeros 2
* Molniya-2-10
* Kosmos 667
* Kosmos 668
* Kosmos 669
* Nauka-8KS No.3
* Molniya-1 No.38
* Kosmos 670
* Kosmos 671
* OPS 6983
* Kosmos 672
* OPS 3004
* Kosmos 673
* Soyuz 15
* Kosmos 674
* Kosmos 675
* Unnamed
* ANS
* Kosmos 676
* Kosmos 677
* Kosmos 678
* Kosmos 679
* Kosmos 680
* Kosmos 681
* Kosmos 682
* Kosmos 683
* Kosmos 684
* Kosmos 685
* Kosmos 686
* Westar 2
* Kosmos 687
* Ariel 5
* Kosmos 688
* Kosmos 689
* Kosmos 690
* Molniya-1 No.26
* Kosmos 691
* Meteor-M No.33
* Luna 23
* OPS 7122
* OPS 6239
* OPS 8452
* Interkosmos 12
* Kosmos 692
* Kosmos 693
* Fanhui Shi Weixing 1
* NOAA-4
* OSCAR-7
* INTASAT
* Kosmos 694
* Kosmos 695
* Molniya-3 No.11
* Intelsat IV F-8
* Skynet 2B
* Kosmos 696
* Soyuz 16
* Helios 1
* Kosmos 697
* Meteor-M No.32
* Kosmos 698
* Symphonie 1
* Molniya-2-11
* Kosmos 699
* Salyut 4
* Kosmos 700
* Kosmos 701

Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets).
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