Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Ariane 44L | Italsat F2 & Télécom 2D
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Aug. 8, 1996, 10:49 p.m.
Soyuz U | Progress M-32
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
July 31, 1996, 8 p.m.
Atlas II | UHF F/O F7
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
July 25, 1996, 12:41 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The U.S. Navy began replacing and upgrading its ultra-high frequency (UHF) satellite communications network during the 1990s with a constellation of customized satellites built by Hughes Space and Communications Company. Known as the UFO (Ultra High Frequency Follow On) series, these HS-601 model satellites support the Navy's global communications network, serving ships at sea and a variety of other U.S. military fixed and mobile terminals.
Geostationary Orbit
Delta II | GPS IIA-17
United Launch Alliance | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
July 16, 1996, 12:50 a.m.
Ariane 44L | Arabsat IIA & Türksat 1C
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
July 9, 1996, 10:24 p.m.
Long March 3 | Apstar 1A
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation | ChinaXichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
July 3, 1996, 10:47 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The APSTAR 1 spacecraft carries such general communications traffic as voice, fax, data, and television signals across China and Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam. APSTAR 1A has expanded coverage to India and Pakistan. Hughes Space and Communications International, Inc., signed a contract in May 1992 with APT Satellite Company, Ltd., of Hong Kong for the first satellite. APT ordered APSTAR IA in March 1995. The spacecraft were built at the Hughes Space and Communications Company facilities in El Segundo, Calif.
Geostationary OrbitTitan 405A | Quasar 11
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
July 3, 1996, 12:30 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Satellite Data System (SDS) spacecraft are communication relay satellites for transmiting real-time data from US reconnaissance satellites (e.g. KH-11) in polar areas. They are also used for communications to USAF air craft on polar routes and connect the various ground stations of the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The spacecraft relay the downlinked KH-11 data to a ground station at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Elliptical Orbit
Pegasus XL | Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS)
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaAir launch to orbit
July 2, 1996, 7:48 a.m.
Soyuz-U-PVB | Yantar-4K2 76
Progress Rocket Space Center | RussiaPlesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
June 20, 1996, 6:44 p.m.
Space Shuttle Columbia / OV-102 | STS-78
National Aeronautics and Space Administration | United States of AmericaKennedy Space Center, FL, USA
June 20, 1996, 2:49 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
STS-78 was the fifth dedicated Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission for the Space Shuttle program, flown partly in preparation for the International Space Station project. The mission used the Space Shuttle Columbia, which lifted off successfully from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39-B on 20 June 1996.
Low Earth Orbit
