Success
ESSA 8
Earth Science
United States Air Force(USAF)Government
Thor Delta N
SSOorbit
The ESSA series was the second generation of US meterological satellites after the TIROS (Television & Infra-Red Observation Satellite) series. They were also called OT (Operational TIROS), TOS (TIROS Operational Satellite).
Sunday, December 15, 1968 at 5:21 PM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#914
USAF Mission
#473
Pad Launch
#38
Location Launch
#317
Designator
1968-114
Launch Window
NET
Dec 15, 1968, 5:21 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
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 15, 1968, 9:21 AM
Total Launches
885
Total Landings
34
Coordinates
34.7513, -120.5202
Thor Delta N Specs
American orbital launch vehicle family with Thor first stage and a delta second stage.
Length
33 m
Diameter
2.44 m
Launch Mass
90 t
Thrust
1,590 kN
Launch Cost
$19M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1968
Fastest Turnaround
1mo 11d
Total Launches
6
Successful
5
Failed
1
Consecutive Success
1
Maiden flight: Aug 16, 1968
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.
Founded
1947
Administrator
Commander-in-Chief: President of the US
Total Launches
1,078
Successful
972
Failed
106
Pending
0
Consecutive Success
68