Soviet Space ProgramMolniya-M 2BL43/4 (43R), Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Molniya-3 23L
Launched
January 18, 1979
Image: Jonathan Space Report
Summary
Molniya-3 23L launched on a Soviet Space Program Molniya-M 2BL from 43/4 (43R), Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation on January 18, 1979. It was Soviet Space Program's 1,277th launch, 4th this year and humanity's 2,177th orbital launch attempt. It was the 101st Molniya-M 2BL flight and the 1st this year. The payload was bound for Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical). Molniya-3, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 438 × 40,821 km orbit inclined 62.8°. 4 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Molniya-M 2BL · Soviet Space Program
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)
- Milestone
- 101st Molniya-M 2BL flight · 1st this yearSoviet Space Program's 1,277th launch4th this yearhumanity's 2,177th orbital launch attempt4th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Molniya-3 · NORAD 11240 · 1979-004 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 4 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- MOLNIYA 3-11
- Object ID
- 1979-004A
- Epoch
- 1979-01-19 05:12:06 UTC
- Mean motion
- 1.95679557 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.7478225
- Inclination
- 62.8075°
- Ascending node
- 302.8591°
- Arg. of perigee
- 280.0547°
- Mean anomaly
- 10.7386°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: Elliptical. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
4 catalogued: 1 payload, 2 rocket stages, 1 component; none still in orbit
- Molniya-3 · NORAD 11240 · re-entered December 2, 1998
Molniya-M 18-504 Blok-I · re-entered January 31, 1979
Blok-L · re-entered May 8, 1999
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Molniya communication satellites operating from a highly elliptical orbit
Pad
43/4 (43R), Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
132nd launch from 43/4 (43R), 2nd this year · 659th from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
329 launches from this pad · 1,688 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
5 days after the previous launch from this pad
All launches from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian FederationOpen in maps
Questions
When did Molniya-3 23L launch?
Molniya-3 23L launched on January 18, 1979. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Molniya-3 23L?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Molniya-3 23L?
Molniya-M 2BL, flown by Soviet Space Program. Molniya-M 2BL spec sheet
Where did Molniya-3 23L launch from?
43/4 (43R), Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation.
What orbit did Molniya-3 23L reach?
Molniya-3, one of 4 catalogued objects, reached a 438 × 40,821 km orbit inclined 62.8°.
How many satellites did Molniya-3 23L launch?
1 payload from this launch is catalogued, no longer in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).