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Atlas IIAS
Launched 1997-10-05 21:01:01 UTCLaunch Complex 36B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Success
Reached Geostationary Orbit
Worldwide
61st
orbital launch attempt in 1997
Lockheed Martin
6th
launch this year
Launch Complex 36B
4th
launch from this pad this year
Pad turnaround
69 d 19 h
since the pad's previous launch
EchoStar 3 was originaly ordered as DBSC 1 by DBSC (Direct Broadcast Satellite Corporation) which merged with a subsidiary of EchoStar in late 1995. The merger was approved by the FCC in August 1996. EchoStar is only authorized to operate 11 transponders from 61.5°W but was granted in Mar 1998 a special authorization to use the full frequency space at that location.
Lockheed Martin's Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM's in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA's return to the moon in 2024.
Launches
80
Successful
77
96%
Upcoming
0
scheduled
Height
47.5m
Diameter
3m
To low Earth orbit
6,580kg
Liftoff thrust
4,391kN
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