Lockheed MartinAtlas IIASLaunch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Echostar III
Launched
October 5, 1997
Summary
Echostar III launched on a Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS from Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on October 5, 1997. It was Lockheed Martin's 28th launch, 6th this year and humanity's 4,179th orbital launch attempt. It was the 11th Atlas IIAS flight and the 4th this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). Echostar III, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 164 × 38,749 km orbit inclined 25.4°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas IIAS · Lockheed Martin
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 11th Atlas IIAS flight · 4th this yearLockheed Martin's 28th launch6th this yearhumanity's 4,179th orbital launch attempt61st orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Echostar III · NORAD 25004 · 1997-059 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- ECHOSTAR 3
- Object ID
- 1997-059A
- Epoch
- 1997-10-05 15:10:08 UTC
- Mean motion
- 2.09157197 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7469741
- Inclination
- 25.388°
- Ascending node
- 155.4394°
- Arg. of perigee
- 178.2783°
- Mean anomaly
- 163.1447°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.035456
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
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 1 still in orbit
- Echostar III · NORAD 25004 · in orbit
Centaur AC-135 · re-entered March 15, 1998
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
EchoStar 3 was originaly ordered as DBSC 1 by DBSC (Direct Broadcast Satellite Corporation) which merged with a subsidiary of EchoStar in late 1995. The merger was approved by the FCC in August 1996. EchoStar is only authorized to operate 11 transponders from 61.5°W but was granted in Mar 1998 a special authorization to use the full frequency space at that location.
Pad
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
61st launch from Launch Complex 36B, 4th this year · 534th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
76 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
69 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Echostar III launch?
Echostar III launched on October 5, 1997. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Echostar III?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Echostar III?
Atlas IIAS, flown by Lockheed Martin. Atlas IIAS spec sheet
Where did Echostar III launch from?
Launch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did Echostar III reach?
Echostar III, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 164 × 38,749 km orbit inclined 25.4°.
How many satellites did Echostar III launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).