LOFTI 2

LOFTI 2 ("LOw Frequency Trans Ionospheric Satellite", also styled LOFTI II) refers to a pair of United States Naval Research Laboratory satellites launched in 1962 and 1963 as a follow-on to the LOFTI-1 mission.

The program's mission was to study how the ionosphere affected very low frequency transmissions.

Both were 20-inch diameter aluminum spheres equipped with extendible antennas.

[1] LOFTI 2 was launched on 24 January 1962[2] as part of the Composite 1 mission alongside four other satellites.

[5] It was equipped with a ten-foot antenna which could be extended to 40 feet remotely.

An image of the LOFTI II satellite from the archives of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy
LOFTI 2B