USA-173

 2003-054A

---

A new ocean surveillance SIGINT was launched in Dec 2003 on MLV-14. The Centaur IIA has two RL10A-4-1B engines. The unclassified launch name was Libra. Two satellites were deployed, rather than the expected three, confirming the new Atlas-launched system was a different design to its predecessors.

The satellites each made a stationkeeping burn to join the operational constellation on 2004 Mar 24.

NRO
Date	Time	Event	Orbit
2003 Dec 2	1004	Launch by Atlas IIAS AC-164	V SLC3E
		T+0:57 SRB 3-4 on
		T+1:59 SRB 1-2 sep
		T+2:02 SRB 3-4 sep
		T+2:43 BECO
		T+2:47 Booster sep
		T+3:29 Fairing sep
		T+4:33 SECO
		T+4:35 Atlas sep	-5558 x 200 x 63.7
		T+4:52 MES1
	1014	T+10:36 MECO1	166 x 1209 x 61.1
		T+1:10:05 MES2 17s
	1114	T+1:10:22 MECO2	1008 x 1208 x 63.4
	1118	T+1:14:05 Centaur sep	1005 x 1218 x 63.5 (UN)
		? Payload 2 separates
2004 Mar 23			107.415 1016 x 1197 x 63.4
2004 Mar 24		Stationkeeping burn
2004 Mar 24			107.426 1016 x 1198 x 63.4