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United States Air ForceDelta II 7920-10CSpace Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Iridium 45 to 49
Launched
December 20, 1997
Summary
Iridium 45 to 49 launched on an United States Air Force Delta II 7920-10C from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on December 20, 1997. It was United States Air Force's 987th launch, 15th this year and humanity's 4,203rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 6th Delta II 7920-10C flight. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Iridium 46, one of 19 catalogued objects, reached a 784 × 786 km orbit inclined 86.4°. 19 objects from this launch are catalogued, 5 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Delta II 7920-10C · United States Air ForceIridium Constellation
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 6th Delta II 7920-10C flightUnited States Air Force's 987th launch15th this yearhumanity's 4,203rd orbital launch attempt85th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Iridium 46 · NORAD 24905 · 1997-082 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 19 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- IRIDIUM 46
- Object ID
- 1997-043C
- Epoch
- 1997-12-20 00:35:48 UTC
- Mean motion
- 14.34216832 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0001222
- Inclination
- 86.3955°
- Ascending node
- 350.1415°
- Arg. of perigee
- 80.6897°
- Mean anomaly
- 279.4429°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1743
- B*
- 0.0000052616
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.
Catalogued objects
19 catalogued: 5 payloads, 1 rocket stage, 13 debris; 5 still in orbit
- Iridium 46 · NORAD 24905 · re-entered May 11, 2019
- Iridium 45 · NORAD 25104 · in orbit
- Iridium 47 · NORAD 25106 · re-entered September 1, 2018
- Iridium 48 · NORAD 25107 · re-entered May 5, 2001
- Iridium 49 · NORAD 25108 · re-entered February 13, 2018
Delta 251 · re-entered June 24, 1998
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Iridium provides global mobile telecommunications services using a constellation of 66 low earth orbit satellites in a 86.4° inclined orbit. Although 77 satellites were originally envisioned for the system and spawned the name based on the 77th element in the periodic table, the system has been scaled back. Motorola's Satellite Communications Group designed and manufactured the Iridium satellites with Lockheed Martin providing the LM-700A spacecraft buses.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
56th launch from Space Launch Complex 2W, 6th this year · 580th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
99 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
41 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Iridium 45 to 49 launch?
Iridium 45 to 49 launched on December 20, 1997. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Iridium 45 to 49?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Iridium 45 to 49?
Delta II 7920-10C, flown by United States Air Force. Delta II 7920-10C spec sheet
Where did Iridium 45 to 49 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did Iridium 45 to 49 reach?
Iridium 46, one of 19 catalogued objects, reached a 784 × 786 km orbit inclined 86.4°.
How many satellites did Iridium 45 to 49 launch?
5 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 1 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is Iridium 45 to 49 part of?
Iridium Constellation. About Iridium Constellation