Status
Success
Rocket
Vehicles
Mission Details
STS-33R (USA-48)
During the mission, Discovery deployed a single satellite, USA-48 (NSSDC ID 1989-090B). Experts believe that this was a secret Magnum ELINT (ELectronic INTtelligence) satellite headed for geosynchronous orbit, similar to that launched by STS-51-C in 1985, making this mission essentially a duplicate of that earlier mission.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 21,000.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit
Orion 2 (USA-48)
The Magnum / Orion satellites are geostationary signals intelligence satellites, which replaced the Rhyolite / Aquacade series. Their purpose was to intercept missile telemetry from the Soviet Union and China. Originally developed under the codename Magnum, their name was replaced by Orion (RIO) before the first launch.
Geostationary Earth Orbit
Location
LC-39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Stats
1989
91st orbital launch attempt
Space Shuttle
32nd mission
5th mission of 1989
31st successful mission
7th consecutive successful mission