Nimbus
past Mission
Type
Orbiter
Launch
Nimbus 1: Aug. 8, 1964
Target
Earth
Objective
Improve weather observations and predictions
A program of seven weather satellites from the 1960s and 1970s that tested advanced sensors and monitored cloud cover, temperature, pollution, ultraviolet solar energy, ozone, microwave radiation, and water vapor, among other factors. Nimbus III was the first U.S. spacecraft to successfully use a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) for power.
Artist's concept of a Nimbus spacecraft in orbit over Earth.
NASA
How it Works
Radioisotope Power for Spacecraft
Find out how Nimbus III pioneered the use of nuclear batteries to power spacecraft.
Learn More
For more than six decades, radioisotope power systems (RPS) have played a critical role in the exploration of space, enabling missions of scientific discovery to destinations across the solar system.
NASA
