United States Air ForceAtlas SLV-3C CentaurLaunch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
ATS 5
Launched
August 12, 1969
Image: US Air Force
Summary
ATS 5 launched on an United States Air Force Atlas SLV-3C Centaur from Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on August 12, 1969. It was United States Air Force's 502nd launch, 28th this year and humanity's 1,000th orbital launch attempt. It was the 8th Atlas SLV-3C Centaur flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO). ATS 5, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 34,852 × 35,964 km orbit inclined 2.7°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3C Centaur · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Geosynchronous Orbit (GSO)
- Milestone
- 8th Atlas SLV-3C Centaur flight · 3rd this yearUnited States Air Force's 502nd launch28th this yearhumanity's 1,000th orbital launch attempt81st orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
ATS 5 · NORAD 4068 · 1969-069 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ATS 5
- Object ID
- 1969-069A
- Epoch
- 1969-08-12 17:10:20 UTC
- Mean motion
- 1.01664234 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0133079
- Inclination
- 2.6856°
- Ascending node
- 277.6839°
- Arg. of perigee
- 288.643°
- Mean anomaly
- 102.005°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: GSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage, 1 component; 3 still in orbit
- ATS 5 · NORAD 4068 · in orbit
Centaur AC-18 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
ATS-5, the last spacecraft in the Hughes/NASA ATS program, was launched August 12, 1969, in a near-perfect trajectory for insertion into synchronous orbit. Although injected successfully into orbit, the spacecraft's reverse spin (counterclockwise) prevented successful deployment of the 124 foot gravity gradient booms for the stabilization experiment. However nine of the other 13 experiments aboard the spacecraft returned useful data.
Pad
Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
11th launch from Launch Complex 36A, 2nd this year · 240th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
71 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
137 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did ATS 5 launch?
ATS 5 launched on August 12, 1969. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch ATS 5?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched ATS 5?
Atlas SLV-3C Centaur, flown by United States Air Force. Atlas SLV-3C Centaur spec sheet
Where did ATS 5 launch from?
Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did ATS 5 reach?
ATS 5, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 34,852 × 35,964 km orbit inclined 2.7°.
How many satellites did ATS 5 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).