Previous Spaceflight Launches
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Delta II | QuickBird 2
United Launch Alliance | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 18, 2001, 6:51 p.m.
Atlas IIAS | NROL-12
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaCape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Oct. 11, 2001, 2:32 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
The primary purpose of the SDS satellites is to relay imagery from low-flying reconnaissance satellites, notably the Keyhole optical reconnaissance and Lacrosse/Onyx radar reconnaissance satellites to ground stations in the United States.
Geostationary Orbit
Proton | Raduga-1 6
Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Oct. 6, 2001, 4:45 p.m.
Titan 404B | NROL-14
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 5, 2001, 9:21 p.m.
Athena I | Starshine-OSCAR-43
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaPacific Spaceport Complex, Alaska, USA
Sept. 30, 2001, 2:40 a.m.
Ariane 44P | Atlantic Bird 2
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Sept. 25, 2001, 11:21 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Alcatel Space has built Atlantic Bird 2 (26 channels in Ku Band for this Spacebus 3000 B2 Satellite) for Eutelsat. By meeting a rapid delivery schedule (16 month on ground delivery), which is made possible by an advanced production policy for the Spacebus-3000B2 platform, Alcatel Space has enabled Eutelsat to meet crucial back-up service requirements while expanding digital and multimedia services. In addition to the on-ground delivery of Atlantic Bird 2, Alcatel Space's prime contract with Eutelsat provides for the satellite's launch campaign, as well support for its operations and mission analysis.
Geosynchronous OrbitTaurus 2110 | OrbView-4
Orbital Sciences Corporation | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Sept. 21, 2001, 6:49 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:
Orbview 4 was a high resolution commercial Earth imaging satellite imagery. OrbView 4's imaging instrument was to provide one-meter panchromatic imagery and four-meter multispectral imagery. OrbView 4 was lost in an launch failure, when the Taurus-2110 carrier rocket suffered an loss of control, which was recovered, but orbit was not achieved.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Soyuz U | Progress M-SO1
Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) | RussiaBaikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Sept. 14, 2001, 11:34 p.m.
Atlas IIAS | NROL-13
Lockheed Martin | United States of AmericaVandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Sept. 8, 2001, 3:25 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
NOSS-3 (Naval Ocean Surveillance System), which is likely not the official designation, is the third generation of NOSS satellites, which are low orbit SIGINT satellites. In 2013, the designation Intruder leaked out. These satellites carry equipment to track ships and aircraft via their radio transmissions. Positions of the origin of the transmissions are determined by triangulation. Each launch consists of two satellites of similar size in the same orbit. Both satellites maneuver to stationkeep relative to one another.
Low Earth Orbit
Ariane 44L | INTELSAT 902
Aérospatiale | FranceGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Aug. 30, 2001, 6:46 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:
Intelsat 902 (IS-902) was the second of 9 new Intelsat satellites launched in August 2001 at 62°E. It will provide telecommunications and television broadcast to Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, the Far East and Australia through its 44 C band and 12 Ku band transponders.
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
