ArianespaceAriane 44LPAriane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Astra 1B & Meteosat 5
Launched
March 2, 1991
Image: Arianespace
Summary
Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 launched on an Arianespace Ariane 44LP from Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana on March 2, 1991. It was Arianespace's 41st launch, 2nd this year and humanity's 3,612th orbital launch attempt. It was the 6th Ariane 44LP flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). Astra 1B, one of 16 catalogued objects, reached a 4,593 × 35,816 km orbit inclined 4.0°. 16 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Ariane 44LP · Arianespace
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 6th Ariane 44LP flight · 1st this yearArianespace's 41st launch2nd this yearhumanity's 3,612th orbital launch attempt15th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Astra 1B · NORAD 21139 · 1991-015 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 16 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ASTRA 1B
- Object ID
- 1991-015A
- Epoch
- 1991-03-03 03:55:59 UTC
- Mean motion
- 2.00396638 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.5874455
- Inclination
- 4.0227°
- Ascending node
- 329.0044°
- Arg. of perigee
- 177.7532°
- Mean anomaly
- 186.9365°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Direct-GEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
16 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 11 debris, 2 components; 10 still in orbit
- Astra 1B · NORAD 21139 · in orbit
- Meteosat 5 · NORAD 21140 · in orbit
Ariane H10 V42 · broke up April 27, 1994
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Astra 1B was the second of the Astra communications satellites launched and operated by SES (Société Européenne des Satellites). It was believed to have been launched in a faulty condition, and suffered a thruster failure early in its life, causing minor drift, meaning that it became permanently difficult to obtain a steady lock on the satellite. This was most notable on analogue transmissions where the picture would move from clear to carrying sparklies and back again.
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
17th launch from Ariane Launch Area 2, 2nd this year · 51st from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
119 launches from this pad · 336 from Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
46 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Guiana Space Centre, French GuianaOpen in maps
Questions
When did Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 launch?
Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 launched on March 2, 1991. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Astra 1B & Meteosat 5?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Astra 1B & Meteosat 5?
Ariane 44LP, flown by Arianespace. Ariane 44LP spec sheet
Where did Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 launch from?
Ariane Launch Area 2, Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana.
What orbit did Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 reach?
Astra 1B, one of 16 catalogued objects, reached a 4,593 × 35,816 km orbit inclined 4.0°.
How many satellites did Astra 1B & Meteosat 5 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).