![[AUTO] Saturn IB - image](/media?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthespacedevs-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fsaturn2520ib_image_20190222030046.jpeg&w=1600)
National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationSaturn IBLaunch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Skylab 4
Launched
November 16, 1973
Summary
Skylab 4 launched on a National Aeronautics and Space Administration Saturn IB from Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on November 16, 1973. It was National Aeronautics and Space Administration's 124th launch, 4th this year and humanity's 1,519th orbital launch attempt. It was the 9th Saturn IB flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). The tracked orbit of Skylab SL-4, one of 2 catalogued objects, from November 25, 1973, was 430 × 450 km inclined 50.0°. 3 crew members flew: Edward Gibson, Gerald P. Carr and William R. Pogue. The spacecraft was Apollo CSM-118 (CSM-118). 2 objects from this launch are catalogued, one of them a payload.
- Watch
- Launch of Skylab 4 (CBS)lunarmodule5
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Human Exploration · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 9th Saturn IB flight · 3rd this yearNational Aeronautics and Space Administration's 124th launch4th this yearhumanity's 1,519th orbital launch attempt97th orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Edward GibsonScience Pilot · NASA · age 37 · first flight
Gerald P. CarrCommander · NASA · age 41 · first flight
William R. PoguePilot · NASA · age 43 · first flight
Spacecraft
Apollo CSM-118 (CSM-118)
CSM-118 was an Apollo Command & Service Module used in the Skylab 4 mission.
- Destination: Skylab
- Mission length: 84 days
- Docked November 16, 1973 at Forward
The Apollo spacecraft successfully splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Skylab SL-4 · NORAD 6936 · 1973-090 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 2 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1973-090A
- Epoch
- 1973-11-25 18:02:41 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.44502735 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.001505
- Inclination
- 50.0483°
- Ascending node
- 115.2939°
- Arg. of perigee
- 346.9973°
- Mean anomaly
- 13.056°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 140
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO.
Catalogued objects
2 catalogued: 1 payload, 1 rocket stage
- Skylab SL-4 · NORAD 6936 · docked November 16, 1973
Saturn S-IVB-208 · deorbited November 16, 1973
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Skylab 4 (also known as SL-4 or SLM-3) was the third and the last crewed mission to the first US orbital space station Skylab. The mission began on November 16, 1973, 14:01:23 UTC with the launch of a three-person crew. Crew members were the Commander Gerald P. Carr, Science Pilot Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue. During their 83-day stay on the station, crew performed Earth and solar observations. The mission ended successfully with the splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on February 8, 1974, 15:16:53 UTC.
Pad
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
4th launch from Launch Complex 39B, 3rd this year · 16th from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
59 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
111 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Skylab 4 launch?
Skylab 4 launched on November 16, 1973. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Skylab 4?
Coverage: Launch of Skylab 4 (CBS). Watch the replay
What rocket launched Skylab 4?
Saturn IB, flown by National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Saturn IB spec sheet
Where did Skylab 4 launch from?
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.
What orbit did Skylab 4 reach?
The tracked orbit of Skylab SL-4, one of 2 catalogued objects, from November 25, 1973, was 430 × 450 km inclined 50.0°.
Which program is Skylab 4 part of?
Skylab. About Skylab