England became the third country in the world to operate a satellite, launching Ariel 1 April 26, 1962 from Cape Canaveral. It was a joint effort between NASA and the UK. It was named after the sprite in Shakespeare's The Tempest.
In July 1962, it was damaged by the Starfish Prime high-altitude nuclear test, which destroyed or damaged several other satellites. Although it continued to operate, the radiation disabled the timer which would have deactivated the satellite after one year. Thus, it extended its life and Ariel 1 re-entered the atmosphere in May 1976.
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