Satellite Data System (SDS) spacecraft are communication relay satellites for transmitting real-time data from US reconnaissance satellites (e.g. KH-11, Onyx, Topaz) in polar areas. They are also used for communications to USAF aircraft on polar routes and connect the various ground stations of the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN). The spacecraft relay the downlinked data to a ground station at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
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.
When is the Atlas IIA | NROL-5 launch?
What rocket is being used for NROL-5 (Quasar 12)?
Where is the Atlas IIA | NROL-5 launching from?
What orbit is NROL-5 (Quasar 12) going to?
Who is launching NROL-5 (Quasar 12)?
Can I watch the Atlas IIA | NROL-5 launch live?
Mission Profile
NROL-5 (Quasar 12) was a Atlas IIA mission operated by Lockheed Martin that lifted off from Launch Complex 36A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on January 29, 1998. The flight carried its payload on a communications mission to Elliptical Orbit. The launch was a success.