DMSP Block 5D Credit - USAF

The Block 5D-3 military meteorological spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin/Valley Forge, and was similar in design to the civilian NOAA weather satellites.

The main instrument was the Operational Linescan System (OLS) weather imager. The satellite also carried the SSMIS (microwave imager and sounder), SSULI ultraviolet limb imager, SSUSI ultraviolet spectrographic imager and nadir airglow-photometer, SSI/ES-3 thermal plasma instrument, the SSJ/5 precipitating particle spectrometer, and the SSF laser threat warning sensor.

Typical orbit: 844 km circular orbit, 98.9 deg inclination. Associated Launch Vehicle: Titan 2.

• 1999 December 12 - USA 147 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Titan 2. Mass: 1,154 kg (2,544 lb). Perigee: 837 km (520 mi). Apogee: 851 km (528 mi). Inclination: 98.90 deg.

  First launch of the Block 5D-3 military weather satellite. Satellite F-15 was placed in an initial suborbital trajectory. The Star 37S kick motor on the satellite fired 13 minutes after launch for orbit insertion.

• 2003 October 18 - USA 172 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Titan 2. Mass: 1,154 kg (2,544 lb). Perigee: 843 km (523 mi). Apogee: 853 km (530 mi). Inclination: 98.90 deg. Period: 101.90 min.

  Final Titan 2 launch, LV dubbed "Cindy Marie". Originally to have launched January 2001. Launch postponed 12 times due to spacecraft and launch vehicle problems.

• 2006 November 4 - DMSP-5D3-F17 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Vehicle: Delta IV Medium. Mass: 1,154 kg (2,544 lb). Perigee: 841 km (522 mi). Apogee: 855 km (531 mi). Inclination: 98.80 deg. Period: 101.90 min.

  Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellite with the Operational Linescan System camera, a microwave imager-sounder, ultraviolet spectrometers, particle detectors, a magnetometer, and a laser threat warning sensor. Reportedly went for a time into safe mode due to software problems after launch. The booster upper stage was conducted a maneuver to deorbit itself after placing the satellite in orbit. After the burn an explosion evidently occurred aboard the stage - dozens of objects were tracked in various orbits with perigees down to 670 km and apogees up to 851 km.

• Space-Launcher.com, Orbital Report News Agency. Accessed at: http://www.orbireport.com/Log.html.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• NASA/GSFC Orbital Information Group Website, . Accessed at: http://oig1.gsfc.nasa.gov/.