Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Delta II | Iridium 83 to 87
United Launch Alliance | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nov. 6, 1998, 1:37 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Iridium provides global mobile telecommunications services using a constellation of 66 low earth orbit satellites in a 86.4° inclined orbit. Although 77 satellites were originally envisioned for the system and spawned the name based on the 77th element in the periodic table, the system has been scaled back. Motorola's Satellite Communications Group designed and manufactured the Iridium satellites with Lockheed Martin providing the LM-700A spacecraft buses.
Low Earth Orbit
Proton-K/DM-2M | PAS 8
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Nov. 4, 1998, 5:12 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Three of the most powerful broadcast satellites ever launched that are capable of direct-to-home (DTH) service are providing DTH programming to millions of consumers of PanAmSat. They were designed and built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L).
Geostationary Orbit
Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-95
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of AmericaKennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Oct. 29, 1998, 7:19 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
STS-95 was a Space Shuttle mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 29 October 1998, using the orbiter Discovery. It was the 25th flight of Discovery and the 92nd mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981. It was a highly publicized mission due to former Project Mercury astronaut and United States Senator John H. Glenn, Jr.'s return to space for his second space flight. At age 77, Glenn became the oldest person, to date, to go into space. This mission is also noted for inaugurating ATSC HDTV broadcasting in the U.S., with live coast-to-coast coverage of the launch. In another first, Pedro Duque became the first Spaniard in space.
Low Earth Orbit
Ariane 44L | Afristar & GE 5
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Oct. 28, 1998, 10:15 p.m.
Soyuz U | Progress M-40
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Oct. 25, 1998, 4:14 a.m.
Delta 7326-9.5 | Deep Space 1
McDonnell Douglas | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 24, 1998, 12:08 p.m.
Pegasus Hybrid | Satélite de Coleta de Dados-2 (SCD-2)
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaAir launch to orbit
Oct. 23, 1998, 12:02 a.m.
Ariane 5 G | MaqSat 3 & ARD
ArianeGroup | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Oct. 21, 1998, 4:37 p.m.
Atlas IIA | UHF F/O F9
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 20, 1998, 7:19 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The U.S. Navy began replacing and upgrading its ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications network during the 1990s with a constellation of customized satellites built by Hughes Space and Communications Company. Known as the UFO (Ultra High Frequency Follow On) series, these HS-601 model satellites support the Navy's global communications network, serving ships at sea and a variety of other U.S. military fixed and mobile terminals.
Geostationary OrbitAtlas IIA | Hot Bird 5
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 9, 1998, 10:50 p.m.
