Success
EarlyBird
Earth Science
Strategic Rocket Forces(RVSN RF)Government
Start-1
LEOorbit
EarlyBird 1, a remote sensing satellite built by CTA Space Systems (now part of Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC)) for EarthWatch, Inc., was to provide high resolution commercial imagery. EarthWatch planed to offer black-and-white images with a resolution as high as 3 meters per pixel, and color images with a resolution of 15 meters per pixel. The imaging sensor was derived from NASA's cancelled Clark satellite.
Wednesday, December 24, 1997 at 1:32 PM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#4,206
RVSN RF Mission
#7
Pad Launch
#2
Location Launch
#2
Designator
1997-085
Launch Window
NET
Dec 24, 1997, 1:32 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Svobodny Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Svobodny was a Russian rocket launch site located approximately 15 km north of Svobodny, Amur Oblast. The cosmodrome was originally constructed as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles called Svobodny-18. It was initially selected as a replacement for Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, which became independent as Kazakhstan after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. However the development of Svobodny was subsequently ended in 2007 in favour of a totally new space port, the Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Timezone
Asia/Yakutsk
Local Launch Time
Dec 24, 1997, 10:32 PM
Total Launches
5
Total Landings
0
Coordinates
51.7000, 128.0000
Start-1 Specs
Start-1 is a Russian satellite launch vehicle based on the RT-2PM Topol, a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology.
Length
22.7 m
Diameter
1.61 m
Launch Mass
47 t
Thrust
887 kN
LEO Capacity
632 kg
Launch Cost
$9M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1993
Fastest Turnaround
2mo 16d
Total Launches
5
Successful
5
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
5
Maiden flight: Mar 25, 1993
Strategic Rocket Forces
The Strategic Rocket Forces of the Russian Federation are a separate-troops branch of the Russian Armed Forces that control Russia's land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
Founded
1959
Total Launches
15
Successful
12
Failed
3
Pending
0
Consecutive Success
1