Carried the DMSP S-10 (USA-68) Block 5D-2 military weather satellite from Vandenberg. The satellite's apogee kick motor nozzle failed due to a manufacturing defect, leaving it in a lower-than-planned orbit rather than its intended sun-synchronous altitude.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- SSO
- Sun-synchronous orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 1.5 T (est.)
- Flight
- 9th
- of 15 SM-65E Atlas flights
- Date and time
- 1 December 1990, 15:57 UTC
- Rocket
- SM-65E Atlas
- Builder
- Convair
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 3W, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
- Payload
- Government/Top Secret
- International designator
- 1990-105
- Launches in 1990
- 110th of 121
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
View satellites in Space Atlas