# Vela

> group of satellites

**Wikidata**: [Q284849](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q284849)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vela_(satellite))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vela

## Summary
Vela is a group of human-made artificial satellites. It is associated with high Earth orbit and is documented under the Wikipedia title **“Vela (satellite)”**.

## Key Facts
- Vela is described as a **group of satellites** (Wikidata description).
- Vela is a **subclass of artificial satellite**, meaning it is a human-made object placed into orbit.
- Vela is listed as a **satellite of high Earth orbit**.
- The Wikipedia title for the topic is **“Vela (satellite)”**.
- Known aliases include **“Vela 1A”** and **“帆船號衛星”**.
- A related image is available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Vela5b.jpg (caption references Vela-5A/B in a clean room and notes A and B were separated after launch).
- The Wikimedia Commons category is **“Vela (satellites)”**.
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online includes an entry with ID **topic/Vela-reconnaissance-satellite** (labelled “Vela”).
- Vela has a Freebase ID: **/m/02yj1l**.
- The entity has a recorded sitelink count of **25**.

## FAQs
### Q: What is Vela?
A: Vela is a group of artificial satellites (human-made objects placed into orbit). It is associated with high Earth orbit and is covered under the Wikipedia topic “Vela (satellite).”

### Q: Is Vela a single satellite or multiple satellites?
A: Vela is described as a **group of satellites**, not a single spacecraft. Source material also references paired satellites (e.g., “Vela-5A/B”) in an image caption.

### Q: What orbit is Vela associated with?
A: Vela is listed as a satellite of **high Earth orbit**. No additional orbital parameters are provided in the source material.

### Q: Where can I find media or a category for Vela?
A: Wikimedia Commons has a category titled **“Vela (satellites)”**. An example image file is available at the provided Commons file path for “Vela5b.jpg.”

## Why It Matters
Vela matters as a documented group of artificial satellites associated with high Earth orbit, making it part of the broader domain of human-made orbital systems. As an entity recognized across multiple knowledge bases and reference systems—Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata, and Encyclopædia Britannica Online—it serves as a stable reference point for linking information about a specific satellite group. This kind of cross-referenced identity is important for research, education, and information retrieval: it helps users and systems consistently refer to the same subject even when different names or languages are used (for example, the aliases “Vela 1A” and “帆船號衛星”). The presence of a dedicated Commons category and an illustrative image also supports documentation and public understanding by providing centralized media resources. Overall, Vela’s significance in this dataset is its role as a clearly classified, orbit-associated satellite group with strong cross-platform identifiers.

## Notable For
- Being explicitly defined as a **group of satellites** (not a single satellite).
- Classification as an **artificial satellite** (human-made orbital object).
- Association with **high Earth orbit**.
- Having multiple cross-platform identifiers (e.g., **Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID**, **Freebase ID**, **Wikimedia Commons category**).
- Media documentation referencing **Vela-5A/B** and their handling in a clean-room context (per the image caption).

## Body
### Classification and Type
- Entity name: **Vela**
- Description: **group of satellites**
- Subclass of: **artificial satellite** (human-made object put into an orbit)

### Orbital Association
- Listed as a satellite of: **high Earth orbit**
- The source material does not provide additional orbital details (e.g., altitude, inclination, period).

### Names and Aliases
- Primary Wikipedia title: **Vela (satellite)**
- Aliases:
  - **Vela 1A**
  - **帆船號衛星**

### Reference Entries and Identifiers
- Encyclopædia Britannica Online ID: **topic/Vela-reconnaissance-satellite**
  - Recorded name/label (qualifier): **“Vela”**
- Freebase ID: **/m/02yj1l**
- Microsoft Academic ID (discontinued): **2776444349**
- Encyclopedia of China (Third Edition) ID: **401633**

### Wikimedia and Media
- Wikimedia Commons category: **Vela (satellites)**
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Vela5b.jpg
  - Caption (as provided): references **Vela-5A/B** in a clean room and notes the two satellites (A and B) were separated after launch.

### Coverage and Sitelinks
- Recorded sitelink count: **25**
- Wikipedia language editions listed in the source material include: **ar, bg, ca, cs, de, en, es, fa, fi** (and Commons).

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)