Nimbus
Type
Orbiter
Launch
Nimbus 1: Aug. 8, 1964
Target
Earth
Objective
Improve weather observations and predictions
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
