United States Air ForceTitan IIIBSpace Launch Complex 4W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
KH-8 18
Launched
December 4, 1968
Image: USAF
Summary
KH-8 18 launched on an United States Air Force Titan IIIB from Space Launch Complex 4W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on December 4, 1968. It was United States Air Force's 469th launch, 36th this year and humanity's 908th orbital launch attempt. It was the 18th Titan IIIB flight and the 8th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). It reached a 134 × 748 km orbit inclined 106.3°. One object from this launch is catalogued.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Titan IIIB · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Government/Top Secret · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 18th Titan IIIB flight · 8th this yearUnited States Air Force's 469th launch36th this yearhumanity's 908th orbital launch attempt120th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
OPS 6518 · NORAD 3594 · 1968-108 · Space-Track
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1968-108A
- Epoch
- 1968-12-04 23:32:01 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.44097601 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0450933
- Inclination
- 106.2681°
- Ascending node
- 53.9968°
- Arg. of perigee
- 138.5201°
- Mean anomaly
- 225.105°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 3
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
1 catalogued: 1 payload; none still in orbit
- OPS 6518 · NORAD 3594 · re-entered December 12, 1968
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
KH-8 or Gambit-3 was the second generation of Gambit high resolution reconnaissance satellites.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 4W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
30th launch from Space Launch Complex 4W, 8th this year · 315th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
93 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
28 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did KH-8 18 launch?
KH-8 18 launched on December 4, 1968. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch KH-8 18?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched KH-8 18?
Titan IIIB, flown by United States Air Force. Titan IIIB spec sheet
Where did KH-8 18 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 4W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did KH-8 18 reach?
It reached a 134 × 748 km orbit inclined 106.3°.
How many satellites did KH-8 18 launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).