LAUNCH CENTER

Success

Thu Jan 29 1998

Lockheed Martin

NROL-5 (Quasar 12)

Launch Successful

LAUNCH PREVIEW

Launch Time

(6:37 PM UTC)

Launch Window Start

(6:37 PM UTC)

Launch Window End

(6:37 PM UTC)

RECOVERY OVERVIEW

Location

No Recovery Specified

Type

No Recovery Specified

Rocket Details

Name:

Atlas IIA

Description:

Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. It was designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004; all sixty-three launches were successes, making the Atlas II the most reliable launch system in history.

MISSION OVERVIEW

Type: Communications
Satellite Data System (SDS) spacecraft are communication relay satellites for transmitting real-time data from US reconnaissance satellites (e.g. KH-11, Onyx, Topaz) in polar areas. They are also used for communications to USAF aircraft on polar routes and connect the various ground stations of the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The spacecraft relay the downlinked data to a ground station at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

COMPLEX OVERVIEW

Location

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Pad

Launch Complex 36A