Launch Failure
Liftoff Time (GMT)
10:53:00
Thursday May 29, 1980
A loose seal resulted in the B-1 turbopump flooding and low booster engine thrust; the sustainer engine compensated by extending its burn time, but the upper stage ignited while still attached to the Atlas and was left in a useless orbit.
NOAA-B was a spacecraft in the TIROS-N series launched by NASA. Intended for a Sun-synchronous orbit, the spacecraft entered a lower, elliptical orbit due to a launch vehicle malfunction resulting in a failed mission. Had the launch been successful it would have been designated NOAA-7.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
1 Payload
1,405 kilograms
4th
Mission
1st
Mission of 1980
44th
Orbital launch attempt