Orbview-4, QuikTOMS and Others

Launch Failure

Liftoff Time (GMT)

18:49:00

Friday September 21, 2001

Mission Details

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Launch Notes

When the second stage ignited at T+83 seconds, a nozzle gimbal actuator drive shaft seized for approximately 5 seconds causing loss of control. The vehicle recovered and continued to fly the mission profile, but failed to reach a stable orbit and reentered near Madagascar.

OrbView 4

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 with a swath width of 8 km as well as 200 channel hyperspectral imagery with a swath width of 5 km. The satellite was to revisit each location on Earth in less than three days with an ability to turn from side-to-side up to 45 degrees from a polar orbital path.

Low Earth Orbit

1 Payload

368 kilograms

QuikTOMS

The QuikTOMS (Quick Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer) mission is to continue daily mapping of the global distribution of the Earth's total column of the atmospheric ozone with Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer Flight Model 5 (TOMS-5). TOMS-5 was scheduled to be launched in the year 2000 aboard the Russian satellite, Meteor-3M(2), but the Meteor-3M(2)/TOMS-5 mission was terminated in April 1999.

Low Earth Orbit

1 Payload

166 kilograms

SBD

SBD (Special Bus Design) was a space demonstration of an improved MicroStar bus. It was to remain on the last stage of the launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit

1 Payload

73 kilograms

Celestis 05

Celestis is the first company to offer space burials. The Celestis payloads are small containers (CPAC, Celestis Payload Attached Container) The containers contain small aluminum capsule about the size of a lipstick, containing symbolic 7 g of cremated remains. Several flights have been made. Among the first persons, whos ashes were send into space were the late "Star Trek'' creator Gene Roddenberry, 60ies icon Timothy Leary and space colony advocate Gerald O'Neill.

1 Payload

Rocket

Active
Minotaur C (Taurus)

Active Since 1994

Northrop Grumman logo

Agency

Northrop

Price

$45.00 million

Rocket

Height: 27.9m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 1,458 kg

Liftoff Thrust

1,607 Kilonewtons

Fairing

Diameter: 2.34m

Stages

4

Launch Site

SLC-576E

Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Fastest Turnaround

82 days 2 hours

Stats

Minotaur C (Taurus)


6th

Mission

1st

Mission of 2001

2001


42nd

Orbital launch attempt