NATO 2B

  1971-009A

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NATO IIB was launched in 1971 to supplement NATO IIA. Initially stationed at 26W over the Atlantic, it was stationed at 105W from the mid 1970s until 1983, when it moved slightly to 110W, stored in the stable location in the `western pit'.

NATO IIB
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1971 Feb 3	0141:40	Launch by Delta M	CK LC17
		Azimuth 100 deg
		SRM 1-3 sep
	0145:19	T+3:39 MECO
		St 1 sep
	0145:22?	SES-1 6:14.6
	0151:36?	SECO-1
	0206?	St 2 sep	-186 x 286 x 28.6
	0207?	TES 43.5s
	0208?	TECO
	0209?	St 3 sep	665.05 283 x 37437 x 25.9 (TLE)
			673.90 273 x 37712 x 25.9 (MOR Post)
1971 Feb 5	0456	AKM 20.1s over 135E, 1E/d	34493 x 37053 x 0.0
1971 Feb 10	s	Over Camp Parks, Calif.
1971 Mar		AOR	GEO 26W
1975 Jun		alter location?
1975 Dec			GEO 18W
1976 Aug 19		Last TWTA failed
1976 Oct 31		On-orbit tests, mv in	GEO 107W
1977 Jan 25			1436.11 35777 x 35795 x 2.4 GEO 105.1W
1980 Dec 14			1436.07 35759 x 35813 x 5.0 GEO 105.1W
1981 Jun			GEO 105W+0.05E 5.4
1982 Oct			GEO 105W
1982 Nov 27			1436.09 35762 x 35811 x 6.3 GEO 105.6W
1982 Dec?		Move to 110W
1983 Feb 18			1436.09 35766 x 35806 x 6.6 GEO 110.2W
1983 May 5			1436.04 35769 x 35801 x 6.7 GEO 109.9W
1983 May		Begin drift
1983 Oct 25			1435.95 35767 x 35801 x 7.1 GEO 105.0W
1983 Dec 4		Move in	1436.01 35755 x 35814 x 7.0 GEO 104.9W
1984 Jun 1			1436.10 35779 x 35793 x 7.4 GEO 105.0W+0.0E
1984 Oct 11			1436.21 35780 x 35797 x 7.6 GEO 101.9W
1984 Dec 30			1436.22 35776 x 35801 x 7.7 GEO 104.3W
1989 Mar 14			1436.1 35769 x 35803 x 10.9 GEO 104.9W
1983 Nov 2			GEO 104.8W +0.02/d
1994 Nov 7			1436.09 35783 x 35789 x 14.3 GEO 105.5W
1998 Aug 4			1436.07 35772 x 35799 x 15.2 GEO 105.2W

NTS 2

 1977-053A

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NRL's Navigation Technology Satellite 2 (Space Test Program mission P76-4/NRL-116) was launched on 1977 Jun 23 as a prototype for the Navstar GPS system. The single Star 37 used to orbit NTS 1 was replaced by a two-stage SVS which placed NTS 2 in the higher 12-hour orbit used by GPS. Fairchild was the SVS contractor. Like NTS 1 it used an octagonal structure and two gravity booms, but two orientable solar panels were used.

Apogee burn had been planned on first apogee but was delayed until sixth apogee. The satellite worked into the 1980s. It was known by NRL as Timation IV.

NTS 2
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1977 Jun 23	0817	Launch by Atlas F/SVS (65F)	V SLC3W
	0822	T+6m Atlas sep
		SVS spinup
	0822	S+20s SVS stage 1 (Star 37E) burn
	0823	SVS Stage 1 burnout
	0823	SVS stage 2 (Star 37E) burn
	0824	SVS stage 2 burnout
	0828	SVS sep	160 x 20106
	1130?	Apo 1
	1700?	Apo 2
	2300?	Apo 3
1977 Jun 24	0500?	Apo 4
	1100?	Apo 5
1977 Jun 24	1630?	Apo 6
	1633?	AKM (TLE) Star 27 burn
	1637?	Star 27 AKM sep
1977 Jun 29		RCS burn 0.48m/s
1977 Jul 1		RCS burn 0.67m/s
1977 Jul 6		RCS burn 0.92m/s
1977 Jul 7		Solar panels deployed
1977 Jul 23			718.02 20178 X 20188 X 63.3
1977 Oct 24			717.96 19995 X 20368 X 63.3
1979 Jul 25			717.89 20143 x 20216 x 63.6
1983 Nov 12			717.88 20093 x 20266 x 64.4
1996 Dec 29			718.19 20068 x 20306 x 63.4

Crystal 9

 1988-099A

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The final KH-11 satellite was launched in Nov 1988. CRYSTAL 9 (USA 33) was placed in a west plane (0948LTDN) orbit with a 1000 km apogee.

CRYSTAL 9
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
1988 Nov 6	1803	Launch by Titan 34D	V SLC4E
	1804	Core engines on (T+1:47)
	1804	SRM jettison (T+1:56) at 39 km
	1807?	T+4min? Stage 1 sep
	1807?	Stage 2 ignition (T+4:33?)
	1807?	Fairing off (T+4:46?)
	1811?	Stage 2 cutoff (T+7:58?)
	1811?	Stage 2 sep (T+8:08?)
			156 x 1012 x 97.9 (UN)
			154 x 1008 x 97.9 (UN, 99B)
1989 Aug 9			97.24 330x922x98.0
1989 Aug 13			97.71 322x976x98.0
1989 Aug 18			97.70 289x1008x97.9
1990 Jun 1			97.54 283x997x97.8
1991 May 27			97.49 290x986x98.0
1996 May 12			97.64 270 x 1020 x 97.9