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Lockheed Space Operations CompanySpace ShuttleLaunch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
STS-43
Launched
August 2, 1991 · 15:02 UTC
Summary
STS-43 launched on a Lockheed Space Operations Company Space Shuttle from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on August 2, 1991 at 15:02 UTC. It was Lockheed Space Operations Company's 33rd launch, 4th this year and humanity's 3,653rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 42nd Space Shuttle flight and the 4th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). Atlantis (STS-43), one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 304 × 310 km orbit inclined 28.5°. 5 crew members flew: Shannon Lucid, John E. Blaha, James C. Adamson, G. David Low and Michael A. Baker. The spacecraft was Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104). 5 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- STS-43 launch & landing (8-2-91)3210andLiftoff
- Vehicle
- Space Shuttle · Lockheed Space Operations CompanySpace Shuttle
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Communications · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 42nd Space Shuttle flight · 4th this yearLockheed Space Operations Company's 33rd launch4th this yearhumanity's 3,653rd orbital launch attempt56th orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Shannon LucidMission Specialist · NASA · age 48 · 3rd flight
John E. BlahaCommander · NASA · age 48 · 3rd flight
James C. AdamsonMission Specialist · NASA · age 45 · 2nd flight
G. David LowMission Specialist · NASA · age 35 · 2nd flight
Michael A. BakerPilot · NASA · age 37 · first flight
Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV‑104) is a Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985, Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011. STS-134 by Endeavour was expected to be the final flight before STS-135 was authorized in October 2010. STS-135 took advantage of the processing for the STS-335 Launch On Need mission that would have been necessary if STS-134's crew became stranded in orbit. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on 21 July 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km) or more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 8 days 21 hours
Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility after this mission.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Atlantis (STS-43) · NORAD 21638 · 1991-054 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 5 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
- Object ID
- 1991-054A
- Epoch
- 1991-08-02 17:31:58 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.90910854 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0004041
- Inclination
- 28.4674°
- Ascending node
- 7.3753°
- Arg. of perigee
- 283.0709°
- Mean anomaly
- 24.8658°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.00025599
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
5 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 debris, 2 components; 3 still in orbit
- Atlantis (STS-43) · NORAD 21638 · landed August 11, 1991
- TDRS 5 · NORAD 21639 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
STS-43 was the ninth flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The nine day mission had a primary goal of launching the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-E.
Pad
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
41st launch from Launch Complex 39A, 2nd this year · 59th from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Local pad time at liftoff: Aug 2, 11:02 AM EDT, in daylight
224 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
96 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STS-43 launch?
STS-43 launched on August 2, 1991 at 15:02 UTC.
Where can I watch STS-43?
Coverage: STS-43 launch & landing (8-2-91). Watch the replay
What rocket launched STS-43?
Space Shuttle, flown by Lockheed Space Operations Company. Space Shuttle spec sheet
Where did STS-43 launch from?
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA. Liftoff was Aug 2, 11:02 AM EDT local time at the pad.
What orbit did STS-43 reach?
Atlantis (STS-43), one of 5 catalogued objects, reached a 304 × 310 km orbit inclined 28.5°.
How many satellites did STS-43 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 1 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).
Which program is STS-43 part of?
Space Shuttle. About Space Shuttle