Mission History

Below is a listing of previous Astrotech Space Operations missions.

OSTM
Launch Date
June 20, 2008

The Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) on the Jason-2 satellite is an international Earth observation satellite mission that continues the sea surface height measurements begun in 1992 by the joint NASA/CNES TOPEX/Poseidon mission and followed by the NASA/CNES Jason-1 mission launched in 2001.

Launch Site
VAFB
Vehicle
Delta II

GLAST
Launch Date
June 11, 2008

GLAST, now renamed the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, is a space observatory being used to perform gamma-ray astronomy observations from low Earth orbit.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta II

Galaxy-18
Launch Date
May 21, 2008

The Galaxy-18 satellite will enable Intelsat to provide advanced cable television, data and telecommunications services to customers throughout North America, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

ICO G1
Launch Date
April 14, 2008

ICO G1 will provide S band mobile communications for satellite phones. It is the heaviest satellite to be launched by an Atlas rocket, and the heaviest single commercial satellite to be launched into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Atlas V

DirectTV-11
Launch Date
March 18, 2008

The satellite is designed to optimize DirecTV's advanced transmission techniques and state-of-the-art video compression technology for delivering national high-definition (HD) programming and local HD channels to subscribers throughout the United States.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

Thuraya-3
Launch Date
January 15, 2008

The mobile communications satellite will expand Thuraya's network coverage to include all key markets of the Asia-Pacific region.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

COSMO-2
Launch Date
December 8, 2007

The overall objective of the COSMO program is global Earth observation and relevant data responding to the needs of the military and scientific community, as well as to the public demand for environmental control.

Launch Site
VAFB
Vehicle
Delta II

WGS-1
Launch Date
October 10, 2007

WGS-1 is a high capacity satellite communications system planned for use in partnership by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and the Australian Department of Defense.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Atlas V

DAWN
Launch Date
September 27, 2007

Dawn's goal is to characterize the conditions and processes of the solar system's earliest epoch by investigating in detail two of the largest protoplanets remaining intact since their formations.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta II

WorldView
Launch Date
September 18, 2007

WorldView-1 is a commercial earth observation satellite owned by DigitalGlobe. The satellite will free capacity on DigitalGlobe’s QuickBird satellite to meet the growing commercial demand for multi-spectral geospatial imagery.

Launch Site
VAFB
Vehicle
Delta II

Phoenix (PAM)
Launch Date
August 4, 2007

As the very first of NASA's Mars Scout class, Phoenix combines legacy and innovation in a framework of a true partnership: government, academia, and industry.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta II

COSMOS (SkyMed-1)
Launch Date
June 7, 2007

COSMO-SkyMed is an Earth observation satellite system funded by the Italian Ministry of Research and Ministry of Defence and conducted by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), intended for both military and civilian use.

Launch Site
VAFB
Vehicle
Delta II

STP-1
Launch Date
March 9, 2007

STP-1 was the first time the Air Force launched six unique satellites at once. The six spacecraft represent a wide variety of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations from across the DOD, including the Air Force, Navy, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Department of Energy.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Atlas V

THEMIS
Launch Date
February 17, 2007

The Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission is a constellation of five NASA satellites to study energy releases from Earth's magnetosphere, known as substorms. These magnetic phenomena intensify auroras near Earth's poles.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta II

NSS-8
Launch Date
January 30, 2007

NSS-8 will provide global communications network coverage to two-thirds of the world’s population, serving countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Asia.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

XM-4
Launch Date
October 30, 2006

XM-4 will accommodate XM's direct broadcast of radio programming to cars, homes and portable radios throughout the continental United States and parts of Canada.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

STEREO
Launch Date
October 25, 2006

STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits around the sun that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth. This will enable stereoscopic imaging of the Sun and solar phenomena, such as coronal mass ejections.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta II

KoreaSat 5
Launch Date
August 22, 2006

KoreaSat 5 will operate on behalf of South Korea's Agency for Defense Development and the KT Corporation - a leading telecommunications provider in the Asia-Pacific region.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

Galaxy 16
Launch Date
June 18, 2006

Galaxy 16 provides coverage for data and video services, including high-definition television (HDTV) broadcasts and IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), across the entire United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, in addition to Canada and Mexico.

Launch Site
Sea Launch
Vehicle
Zenit - 3SL

GOES-N
Launch Date
May 24, 2006

The multimission GOES series N-P is the next series of satellites. This series will be a vital contributor to weather, solar and space operations, and science. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are actively engaged in a cooperative program to expand the existing GOES system with the launch of the GOES N-P satellites.

Launch Site
CCAFS
Vehicle
Delta IV

Pages

285 Spacecraft Successfully Processed To Date!