San Marco 5

 1988-026A

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The long delayed NASA/CRA San Marco D/L satellite finally left the pad in Mar 1988, becoming San Marco 5. The satellite, with a mass of 237 kg, carried more sophisticated instruments than its predecessors. A companion spacecraft, San Marco D/M, was never launched. L stood for 'low orbit' and M for 'medium orbit'.

San Marco 5
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1988 Mar 25	1950	Launch by Scout G-1	SMLC
		T+1:24 Stage 1 burnout
		T+1:27 Stage 2 burn
		T+2:08 Stage 2 burnout
		T+2:23 Fairing sep
	1952	Stage 3 burn (T+2:24), 85 km
		T+3:13 Stage 3 burnout
		T+7:28 Stage 3 sep
	1957	Stage 4 burn (T+7:33), 276 km
	1958	T+8:07 Stage 4 burnout
	2001	T+11:38 Stage 4 sep	262 x 619 x 3.0
1988 Dec 6		Reentered

Payload:

• DBI Drag balance neutral atmosphere density meter (CRA/Broglio)

• IVI Ion velocity instrument (UTD/Hanson)

• EFI 3-axis electric field instrument (AFGL/Maynard)

• WATS Wind and temp spectrometer (GSFC/Spencer)

• ASSI Airglow/solar spectrometer (IPW-Frieburg/Schmundt)