Status
Failure
NOAA-B
Launch Time
Thu May 29, 1980 10:53 UTC
Thu May 29, 1980 10:53 UTC
A loose seal resulted in the B-1 turbopump flooding and low booster engine thrust; the sustainer engine compensated by extending its burn time, but the upper stage ignited while still attached to the Atlas and was left in a useless orbit.
Rocket
Mission Details
NOAA-B
NOAA-B was a spacecraft in the TIROS-N series launched by NASA. Intended for a Sun-synchronous orbit, the spacecraft entered a lower, elliptical orbit due to a launch vehicle malfunction resulting in a failed mission. Had the launch been successful it would have been designated NOAA-7.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 1,405.0 kg
Sun-Synchronous Orbit
Location
SLC-3W, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA
Stats
1980
44th orbital launch attempt
Atlas-Star
4th mission
1st mission of 1980
2nd failed mission