An early-warning missile detection satellite that was launched into the wrong orbit nine years ago was decommissioned, Northrop Grumman [NOC] said recently. The Air Force Flight 19 satellite was launched April 9, 1999, on a Titan IV launch vehicle with an Inertial Upper stage (IUS) rocket. Six hours later, the two stages of the IUS failed to separate completely, leaving the satellite out of control and in a useless geo-transfer orbit (at approximately 320 kilometers and a high apogee altitude…
Early Warning Satellite Decommissioned After Insertion To Wrong Orbit, Limited Use
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