Athena-1 Credit - Lockheed Martin

Privately funded solid propellant satellite launch vehicle. Basic version with Castor 120 first stage, Orbus second stage, and OAM Orbital Adjustment Module. Formerly LMLV (Lockheed-Martin Launch Vehicle); LLV (Lockheed Launch Vehicle) .

Manufacturer: Lockheed. Launches: 4. Failures: 1. Success Rate: 75.00%. First Launch Date: 1995-08-15. Last Launch Date: 2001-09-30. Launch data is: complete. LEO Payload: 820 kg (1,800 lb). to: 185 km Orbit. at: 28.50 degrees. Payload: 360 kg (790 lb). to a: Sun synchronouts, 800 km, 98.6 deg orbit trajectory. Associated Spacecraft: GemStar, Lewis, Oscar, ROCSAT, Sapphire, Starshine, Uosat. Liftoff Thrust: 1,449.000 kN (325,748 lbf). Total Mass: 66,300 kg (146,100 lb). Core Diameter: 2.36 m (7.74 ft). Total Length: 18.90 m (62.00 ft). Launch Price $: 17.000 million. in: 2000 price dollars.

• Stage Number: 1. 1 x Stage: Castor 120. Gross Mass: 53,020 kg (116,880 lb). Empty Mass: 4,211 kg (9,283 lb). Thrust (vac): 1,606.594 kN (361,177 lbf). Isp: 286 sec. Burn time: 83 sec. Isp(sl): 229 sec. Diameter: 2.36 m (7.74 ft). Span: 2.36 m (7.74 ft). Length: 10.70 m (35.10 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: Castor 120. Modification of Peackeeper ICBM first stage.

• Stage Number: 2. 1 x Stage: ESBM. Gross Mass: 10,810 kg (23,830 lb). Empty Mass: 1,030 kg (2,270 lb). Thrust (vac): 189.200 kN (42,534 lbf). Isp: 293 sec. Burn time: 150 sec. Diameter: 2.30 m (7.50 ft). Span: 2.30 m (7.50 ft). Length: 3.00 m (9.80 ft). Propellants: Solid. No Engines: 1. Engine: SRM-1. Status: Out of production.

• Stage Number: 3. 1 x Stage: OAM. Gross Mass: 714 kg (1,574 lb). Empty Mass: 360 kg (790 lb). Thrust (vac): 882 N (198 lbf). Isp: 222 sec. Burn time: 1,500 sec. Diameter: 2.30 m (7.50 ft). Span: 2.30 m (7.50 ft). Length: 1.00 m (3.20 ft). Propellants: Hydrazine. No Engines: 4. Engine: MR-107. Status: Out of production. Monopropellant final stage providing precise orbital injection. Pressure-fed, indefinite number of restarts.

1995 August 15 - 22:30 GMT - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC6. Launch Pad: SLC6. Launch Vehicle: Athena-1. Model: Athena-1. LV Configuration: Athena-1 DLV. FAILURE: Destroyed by range safety 160 sec into flight after failure of thrust vector control system.

• GemStar 1 (VitaSat) Nation: USA. Payload: Gemstar DSS-1. Mass: 113 kg (249 lb). Class: Communications. Spacecraft: GemStar. Agency: LMSC. COSPAR: F950815A. Decay Date: 1995-08-15. Global Electronic Messaging Satellite;. References: 5.

• Lewis Nation: USA. Payload: SSTI/Lewis. Class: Earth. Type: Landsat. Spacecraft: Lewis. Agency: TRW/NASA. Manufacturer: TRW, Chantilly. Perigee: 124 km (77 mi). Apogee: 134 km (83 mi). Inclination: 97.50 deg. Period: 87.10 min. COSPAR: 1997-044A. USAF Sat Cat: 24909. Decay Date: 1997-09-28. Reentered Sep 28 References: 4, 276.

• ROCSAT-1 Nation: Taiwan. Mass: 400 kg (880 lb). Class: Earth. Spacecraft: ROCSAT. Agency: NSPO. Manufacturer: TRW, Redondo Beach. Perigee: 606 km (376 mi). Apogee: 653 km (405 mi). Inclination: 35.00 deg. COSPAR: 1999-002A. USAF Sat Cat: 25616. Taiwan's first satellite, with experimental communications, ocean imagery, and ionospheric studies instruments. The Primex OAM placed itself and the payload into an elliptical transfer orbit. A second OAM burn circularized the orbit, and ROCSAT separated into a 588 x 601 km x 35.0 deg orbit.

• Starshine 3 Nation: USA. Mass: 67 kg (147 lb). Class: Earth. Type: Geodesy. Spacecraft: Starshine. Agency: U.S. Air Force (U.S.). Perigee: 472 km (293 mi). Apogee: 472 km (293 mi). Inclination: 67.00 deg. COSPAR: 2001-043A. USAF Sat Cat: 26929. Decay Date: 2003-01-21. Possibly last Athena flight. Launch delayed from September 1, 18, 22, 23, 25, 28. This was the first orbital launch from Alaska's Kodiak Island launch site (Foul weather and auroral conditions had delayed the launch many times) . The Lockheed Martin Athena-1's Orbit Adjust Module's (OAM) four MR-107 hydrazine engines fired for 12 minutes to put the payloads in a 237 x 815 km transfer orbit. After a coast to apogee above East Africa, a second burn at 0337 GMT circularized the orbit. USAF Space Test Program satellites Picosat, Sapphire and PCSat were deployed into an 790 x 800 km x 67 deg orbit between 0344 and 0352 GMT; the OAM then made a perigee lowering burn to a 470 x 800 km orbit. Another burn half an orbit later put OAM in a 467 x 474 km orbit, from wish Starshine 3 was deployed. Finally, the OAM made a perigee-lowering depletion burn which left in a 215 x 403 km x 67.2 deg orbit from which would reenter in a few months.

  Starshine-3 was a 90 kg, 0.9 m geodetic sphere that was to be observed by students. The NASA satellite was basically a passive light-reflecting sphere, consisting of 1,500 student-built mirrors (polished by kindergarten and grade school students from many countries) and 31 laser "retroreflectors". A few solar cells provide enough power to send a beacon at 145.825 MHz every minute. Ham operators around the world were expected to obtain signal strengths from which the decay (due to magnetic torque) of its spin rate could be determined. The project was managed by NASA GSFC and Starshine was built by the Naval Research Laboratory.References: 4, 296.

• Picosat Nation: USA. Mass: 67 kg (147 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: MicroSat-70. Agency: U.S. Air Force (U.S.). Manufacturer: Surrey. Perigee: 794 km (493 mi). Apogee: 794 km (493 mi). Inclination: 67.00 deg. COSPAR: 2001-043B. USAF Sat Cat: 26930. STP P97-1 Picosat was built by Surrey Satellite for the USAF using a Uosat-type bus. The 68 kg satellite was to test electronic components/systems in space conditions. It carried four test payloads: Polymer Battery Experiment (PBEX), Ionospheric Occultation Experiment (IOX), Coherent Electromagnetic Radio Tomagraphy (CERTO) and an ultra-quiet platform (OPPEX). Called Picosat 9 by some Agencies although not related to other satellites in that series.References: 4, 296.

• PCSat Nation: USA. Mass: 67 kg (147 lb). Class: Communications. Type: Amateur. Spacecraft: Oscar. Agency: US Navy. Perigee: 794 km (493 mi). Apogee: 794 km (493 mi). Inclination: 67.00 deg. COSPAR: 2001-043C. USAF Sat Cat: 26931. PCSat (Prototype Communications SATellite) was to act as a relay for UHF/VHF amateur radio transmissions. It was built by the midshipmen at the US Naval Academy. It was to augment the existing worldwide Amateur Radio Automatic Position Reporting System; mass was around 10 kg.References: 4, 296.

• Sapphire Nation: USA. Mass: 67 kg (147 lb). Class: Technology. Spacecraft: Sapphire. Agency: Stanford University. Manufacturer: Stanford University. Perigee: 794 km (493 mi). Apogee: 794 km (493 mi). Inclination: 67.00 deg. COSPAR: 2001-043D. USAF Sat Cat: 26932. SAPPHIRE (a US DoD-funded microsatellite) was built by Stanford University students and carried experimental infrared horizon sensors, a voice synthesizer and a digital camera. The satellite was about 0.5m in size and had a mass of 16 kg. References: 4, 296.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• Isakowitz, Steven J,, International Reference to Space Launch Systems Second Edition, AIAA, Washington DC, 1991 (succeeded by 2000 edition). ISBN: 1563473534. Superseded by the later editions. More at amazon.com...

• Wilson, Andrew, editor,, Jane's/Interavia Space Directory, Jane's Information Group, Coulsdon, Surrey, 1992 et al. ISBN: 0710618107. The most comprehensive source of information for current space projects. Too expensive for human beings and most libraries. More at amazon.com...