United States Air ForceDelta 3914Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
GOES 5
Launched
May 22, 1981
Summary
GOES 5 launched on an United States Air Force Delta 3914 from Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on May 22, 1981. It was United States Air Force's 769th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 2,442nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 8th Delta 3914 flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO). GOES 5, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 49,774 km orbit inclined 26.6°. 4 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Delta 3914 · United States Air ForceGeostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Geostationary Orbit (Direct-GEO)
- Milestone
- 8th Delta 3914 flight · 1st this yearUnited States Air Force's 769th launch5th this yearhumanity's 2,442nd orbital launch attempt51st orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
GOES 5 · NORAD 12472 · 1981-049 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- GOES 5
- Object ID
- 1981-049A
- Epoch
- 1981-05-22 15:08:45 UTC
- Mean motion
- 1.5634552 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7904738
- Inclination
- 26.5698°
- Ascending node
- 36.978°
- Arg. of perigee
- 180.1538°
- Mean anomaly
- 179.0561°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.000099999
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
4 catalogued: 1 payload, 2 rocket stages, 1 component; 2 still in orbit
- GOES 5 · NORAD 12472 · in orbit
Delta 154 · re-entered September 8, 1981
Delta 154 Stage 3 · re-entered April 15, 1982
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Geostationary meteorological satellite
Pad

Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
72nd launch from Space Launch Complex 17A, 1st this year · 372nd from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
145 launches from this pad · 1,131 from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
187 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did GOES 5 launch?
GOES 5 launched on May 22, 1981. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch GOES 5?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched GOES 5?
Delta 3914, flown by United States Air Force. Delta 3914 spec sheet
Where did GOES 5 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What orbit did GOES 5 reach?
GOES 5, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 199 × 49,774 km orbit inclined 26.6°.
How many satellites did GOES 5 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is GOES 5 part of?
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. About Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite
![[AUTO] Delta 3910 - image](/media?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthespacedevs-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fdelta_3910_image_20231231105538.jpeg&w=1600)