SDS

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Class: Communications. Type: Military. Destination: Molniya Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Air Force.

SDS satellites, put into Molniya-type orbits, provided data relay services for optical reconnaissance and other military spacecraft.

Typical orbit: 387 x 39473 km, 63.2 deg inclinaton. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb).

SDS Chronology

1976 June 2 - SDS no. 1 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 380 km (230 mi). Apogee: 39,315 km (24,429 mi). Inclination: 63.30 deg. Period: 703.80 min.

1976 August 6 - SDS no. 2 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 380 km (230 mi). Apogee: 39,315 km (24,429 mi). Inclination: 63.30 deg. Period: 703.80 min.
Satellite Data Systems 2.

1978 August 5 - SDS no. 3 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 315 km (195 mi). Apogee: 39,053 km (24,266 mi). Inclination: 62.50 deg. Period: 697.10 min.

1980 December 13 - SDS no. 4 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 250 km (150 mi). Apogee: 39,130 km (24,310 mi). Inclination: 63.80 deg. Period: 697.40 min.

1984 August 28 - USA 4 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 380 km (230 mi). Apogee: 39,975 km (24,839 mi). Inclination: 63.30 deg. Period: 717.80 min.
Satellite Data Systems 2.

1985 February 8 - USA 9 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 400 km (240 mi). Apogee: 39,775 km (24,714 mi). Inclination: 63.00 deg. Period: 717.80 min.
Satellite Data Systems 2.

1987 February 12 - USA 21 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC4W. Launch Vehicle: Titan. Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Perigee: 610 km (370 mi). Apogee: 39,750 km (24,690 mi). Inclination: 63.40 deg. Period: 718.10 min.

Bibliography:

McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.

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