Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

05:28:00

Thursday September 20, 1979

Watch Replay

24/7 Coverage

Mission Details

HEAO-3

Wiki

The last of NASA's three High Energy Astronomy Observatories, HEAO 3 was launched on 20 September 1979 on an Atlas-Centaur launch vehicle, into a nearly circular, 43.6-degree inclination low-Earth orbit with an initial perigee of 486.4 km. The normal operating mode was a continuous celestial scan, spinning approximately once every 20 min about the spacecraft's z-axis, which was nominally pointed at the Sun. The total mass of the observatory at launch was 2,660.0 kilograms (5,864.3 lb).

Low Earth Orbit

1 Payload

2,660 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Atlas-SLV3D Centaur-D1AR

Active 1975 to 1983


Stages

2

Launch Site

SLC-36B

Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

50 days 6 hours

Stats

Atlas-Centaur


51st

Mission

2nd

Mission of 1979

1979


85th

Orbital launch attempt