United States Air ForceAtlas SLV-3D CentaurLaunch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
FLTSATCOM 3
Launched
January 18, 1980
Image: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Summary
FLTSATCOM 3 launched on an United States Air Force Atlas SLV-3D Centaur from Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on January 18, 1980. It was United States Air Force's 750th launch, 1st this year and humanity's 2,287th orbital launch attempt. It was the 23rd Atlas SLV-3D Centaur flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). FLTSATCOM F3, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 173 × 35,969 km orbit inclined 26.4°. 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3D Centaur · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 23rd Atlas SLV-3D Centaur flight · 1st this yearUnited States Air Force's 750th launch1st this yearhumanity's 2,287th orbital launch attempt4th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
FLTSATCOM F3 · NORAD 11669 · 1980-004 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- OPS 6393 (FLTSATCOM 3)
- Object ID
- 1980-004A
- Epoch
- 1980-01-18 06:59:04 UTC
- Mean motion
- 2.27193372 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7322446
- Inclination
- 26.3598°
- Ascending node
- 327.9713°
- Arg. of perigee
- 181.6344°
- Mean anomaly
- 173.0949°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 8
- 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
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage; 1 still in orbit
- FLTSATCOM F3 · NORAD 11669 · in orbit
Centaur AC-49 · re-entered January 5, 1990
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
FLTSATCOM satellite for US Navy, Air Force and presidential communications
Pad
Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
26th launch from Launch Complex 36A, 1st this year · 364th from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
71 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
258 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did FLTSATCOM 3 launch?
FLTSATCOM 3 launched on January 18, 1980. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch FLTSATCOM 3?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched FLTSATCOM 3?
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur, flown by United States Air Force. Atlas SLV-3D Centaur spec sheet
Where did FLTSATCOM 3 launch from?
Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did FLTSATCOM 3 reach?
FLTSATCOM F3, one of 2 catalogued objects, reached a 173 × 35,969 km orbit inclined 26.4°.
How many satellites did FLTSATCOM 3 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).