Launch Failure
Liftoff Time (GMT)
17:01:00
Friday April 9, 1999
Watch Replay
24/7 Coverage
IUS stage separation failure. Final flight of Titan from SLC-41 before being converted into an Atlas V launch facility.
The DSP Block-3 (or DSP-I) satellites represent the third generation of DSP early warning satellites, each costing approximately $180 million. These spacecraft utilize slow spinning (6 rpm) around the nadir axis to enable Earth scanning by the detector system, while zero momentum (three-axis) stabilization is achieved using a reaction wheel to counter the spacecraft spin. With four deployed solar panels, they generate roughly 1300 W of power. DSP satellites are radiation hardened and feature a classified payload, likely consisting of a telescope with a 6000-element IR array, nuclear explosion detectors, and particle detection monitors.
Geostationary Earth Orbit
1 Payload
2,386 kilograms
Agency
LockheedRocket
Height: 54m
Liftoff Thrust
15,000 Kilonewtons
Fairing
Diameter: 5.1m
Stages
4
Strap-ons
2
26th
Mission
1st
Mission of 1999
17th
Orbital launch attempt