Success
NROL-18 (Intruder 6A & 6B)
Government/Top Secret
Lockheed Martin(LMT)Commercial
Atlas IIAS
LEOorbit
USA 173 is an American military satellite (operated by the National Reconnaissance Office)
Tuesday, December 2, 2003 at 10:04 AM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#4,632
LMT Mission
#69
Pad Launch
#31
Location Launch
#616
Designator
2003-054
Launch Window
NET
Dec 2, 2003, 10:04 AM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Space Launch Complex 3E
SLC-3E is a launch pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base. It was originally built for the MIDAS program and later used for various other missions. After a period of inactivity, it was refurbished in the early 2000s to launch Atlas V rockets. The pad is now being upgraded to accommodate the new Vulcan Centaur rocket. The last Atlas V launch from SLC-3E happened in November 2022, with the first Vulcan launch expected in 2025.
Total Launches
48
Orbital Attempts
45
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 2d
Atlas IIAS Specs
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. It was designed to launch payloads into low earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004; all sixty-three launches were successes, making the Atlas II the most reliable launch system in history.
Length
47.54 m
Diameter
3.04 m
Launch Mass
204 t
Thrust
4,391 kN
LEO Capacity
6,580 kg
GTO Capacity
2,810 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1993
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 1d
Total Launches
30
Successful
30
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
30
Maiden flight: Dec 16, 1993
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin's Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM's in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA's return to the moon in 2024.
Founded
1953
Total Launches
80
Successful
77
Failed
3
Pending
0
Consecutive Success
38
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Local Launch Time
Dec 2, 2003, 2:04 AM
Total Launches
885
Total Landings
34
Coordinates
34.7513, -120.5202