Space Shuttle Atlantis flew a classified US Air Force mission deploying the Lacrosse 1 radar reconnaissance satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. Falling SRB insulation tore off over 700 heat-shield tiles at liftoff; the crew landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base four days later.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 24.9 T (est.)
- Flight
- 27th
- of 135 Space Shuttle flights
- Date and time
- 2 December 1988, 14:30 UTC
- Rocket
- Space Shuttle
- Builder
- Rockwell / Martin Marietta / Thiokol
- Launch site
- Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
- Payload
- Government/Top Secret
- International designator
- 1988-106
- Launches in 1988
- 111th of 121
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas