STS-44 & DSP-16 (USA-75)

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

23:44:00

Sunday November 24, 1991

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

STS-44

Wiki

Its primary mission was classified, but it's believed to have involved deploying a Department of Defense payload, possibly a reconnaissance satellite or a satellite for intelligence purposes. The mission lasted six days, during which the crew conducted various experiments and tasks in addition to deploying the classified payload.

Low Earth Orbit

20,240 kilograms

DSP-16 (USA-75)

Wiki

The DSP Block-3 (or DSP-I) satellites represent the third generation of DSP early warning satellites, each costing approximately $180 million. These spacecraft utilize slow spinning (6 rpm) around the nadir axis to enable Earth scanning by the detector system, while zero momentum (three-axis) stabilization is achieved using a reaction wheel to counter the spacecraft spin. With four deployed solar panels, they generate roughly 1300 W of power. DSP satellites are radiation hardened and feature a classified payload, likely consisting of a telescope with a 6000-element IR array, nuclear explosion detectors, and particle detection monitors.

Geostationary Earth Orbit

1 Payload

2,386 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Space Shuttle Atlantis

Active 1985 to 2011

National Aeronautics and Space Administration logo

Agency

NASA

Price

$450.00 million

Rocket

Height: 56.1m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 27,500 kg

GTO: 3,810 kg

Liftoff Thrust

30,250 Kilonewtons

Stages

2

Strap-ons

2

Launch Site

LC-39A

Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

5 days 6 hours

Stats

Space Shuttle


44th

Mission

6th

Mission of 1991

1991


84th

Orbital launch attempt