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Launching on the Athena launch vehicle
  The Lockheed
Martin Athena launch vehicle (formerly known as LLV and then as LMLV) [picture] has been
developed by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space. The first launch of the then named
LLV-1 failed on the 15th August 1995 from Space Launch Complex-6 at Vandenberg Air Force
Base, carrying the CTA Inc. GEMStar (aka VITASAT) minisatellite. The subsequent flight of
the LMLV-1 Lewis mission in September 1997 was a success.
The Athena-2 features an additional Castor 120 solid booster, allowing it to loft
heavier payloads. It was used to send Lunar Prospector on its way to the moon in early
1998.
Capacity
| Launcher |
Capacity (kg) |
Orbit |
| Athena-1 |
795 |
182km, 28deg |
| Athena-2 |
|
|
Launch history
| # |
date |
type |
Serial |
payload |
orbit |
comments |
| 1 |
15 Aug 95 |
1 |
DLV |
GEMSTAR |
650km |
Failed to reach orbit |
| 2 |
23 Aug 97 |
1 |
LM-001 |
Lewis |
300km |
|
| 3 |
5 Jan 98 |
2 |
LM-004 |
Lunar Prospector |
|
|
| 4 |
26 Jan 99 |
1 |
LM-006 |
ROCSAT |
600km, 38 deg |
|
| 5 |
|
2 |
|
Space Imaging-1 (Ikonos-1) |
|
|
Expected
future launches
| # |
date |
type |
payload |
orbit |
comments |
| 6 |
early 2000 |
2 |
SBIRS-LADS |
|
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| 7 |
|
1 |
(NASA slot of discontinued Clark program) |
|
|
| 8 |
|
2 |
Space Imaging-2 (Ikonos-2) |
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