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Mission record

Explorer 35

Also known as Anchored IMP 2, AIMP-E, AIMP 2, IMP-E

NASA · Launched

Explore trajectory

Completed · Success

NASA spin-stabilized AIMP-E spacecraft launched into an elliptical lunar orbit to study interplanetary plasma, the magnetic field, energetic particles and solar X rays, plus the Moon's gravity field, ionosphere and dust distribution; it operated for six years before being turned off.

Destinations
Launch vehicle
Thrust Augmented Delta
Launch site
Cape Canaveral, United States
Countries
United States
Mission types
Orbiter, Heliophysics

Chronology

Mission timeline

  1. Launch

    Explorer 35 launched on a direct ascent trajectory to the Moon

    Earth

  2. Orbit insertion

    Explorer 35 entered an 800 x 7692 km elliptical lunar orbit

    Moon

  3. Mission end

    Explorer 35 was turned off after six years in lunar orbit

    Moon

Mission architecture

Vehicles

  • Explorer 35 · Orbiter

    Destinations: Moon

Trajectory record

Time-dependent navigation trajectory

Source states place the model at the selected time. Reconstructed flight, estimates, predictions and historical mission plans are identified by interval; gaps remain visible.

J2000 · Sun-centered display · positions interpolated between source states

Coverage: July 19, 1967 to February 23, 1972

Source records and sampling assumptions are retained with the repository data. Model attitude and surface appearance are illustrative.

  • Explorer 35: SPDF source positions transformed to Sun-centered J2000; velocity derived from the position sequence. · July 19, 1967 to February 23, 1972

Provenance

Sources

Each source is listed once and labeled with the mission, event, trajectory, or destination/body context it supports.

Data verified through October 7, 2026