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Space Shuttle Discovery / OV-103 | STS-82

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Feb. 11, 1997, 8:55 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

STS-82 was the 22nd flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery and the 82nd mission of the Space Shuttle program. It was NASA's second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, during which Discovery's crew repaired and upgraded the telescope's scientific instruments, increasing its research capabilities and achieved the highest altitude ever attained by a STS Orbiter (335-nautical-mile (620 km)).

Low Earth Orbit
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Soyuz-U | Soyuz TM-25

Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Feb. 10, 1997, 2:09 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Soyuz TM-25 was the 30th mission and the 23rd long-duration expedition to Mir space station. It was also a part of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program. The mission began on February 10, 1997, 14:09:30 UTC, launching Commander Vasili Tsibliyev, Flight Engineer Aleksandr Lazutkin and Research Cosmonaut Reinhold Ewald into orbit. They docked with Mir two days later. During their stay there, cosmonauts performed an EVA and various scientific experiments in medicine, biotechnology, Earth sciences etc. Station crew was visited by several Progress resupply spacecrafts, STS-84, and welcomed aboard Soyuz TM-26 with the next expedition crew. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on August 14, 1997, 12:17:10 UTC.

Low Earth Orbit
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Ariane 44L | GE 2 & Nahuel 1A

Aérospatiale | France
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Jan. 30, 1997, 10:04 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

GE 2 and Nahuel 1A are American and Argentinian communications satellites.

Geostationary Orbit
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Delta II | GPS IIR-1

United Launch Alliance | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Jan. 17, 1997, 4:28 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

GPS-2R (Global Positioning System) or Navstar-2R (Navigation System using Timing And Ranging) are the third evolution stage of the second generation of the GPS satellites.

Medium Earth Orbit
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Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-81

National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of America
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Jan. 12, 1997, 9:27 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

STS-81 was a January 1997 Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to the Mir space station.

Low Earth Orbit
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Soyuz U | Bion 11

Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | Russia
Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Dec. 24, 1996, 1:50 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Biological research satellite carrying live organisms

Low Earth Orbit
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Titan 404A | KH-11 12

Lockheed Martin | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Dec. 20, 1996, 6:04 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

KH-11 reconnaissance satellite

Low Earth Orbit
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Kosmos-3M | Parus 87

Russian Space Forces | Russia
Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Dec. 20, 1996, 6:43 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Navigation satellite providing location information for the Tsiklon-B navigation system

Low Earth Orbit
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Atlas IIA | INMARSAT III F-3

Lockheed Martin | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Dec. 18, 1996, 1:57 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Launched in 1996-8, the Inmarsat-3s were built by Lockheed Martin Astro Space (now Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space) of the USA, responsible for the basic spacecraft, and the European Matra Marconi Space (now Astrium), which developed the communications payload.

Geostationary Orbit
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Tsiklon-2 | US-PM 8

Yuzhnoye Design Bureau | Ukraine
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dec. 11, 1996, noon
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

US-PM (Upravlenniye Sputnik Passivny Modifikirovanny) (also reported as US-PU) was a solar powered improved EORSAT (Electronic Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite). It used an passive ELINT devices to track naval vessels from space by registering their electronic emmissions.

Low Earth Orbit
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