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Launch Sequence Diagrams - Archive Page |
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Orbital Launch Boost Phase
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Liftoff took place from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape
Canaveral Air
Station, Florida. One minute after liftoff, the first six solid rocket
strap-ons were discarded.
The other three burned out strap-on boosters were jettisoned,
while the first stage
continued to burn.
The remaining strap-on boosters are then ignited, and then jettisioned.
About 4 minutes, 23 seconds after liftoff, the first
stage stopped firing and
were discarded eight seconds later. About six seconds later, the second stage
engine ignited. The
fairing or nose-cone enclosure of the launch vehicle was discarded roughly 5 minutes
after liftoff. The second-stage burn ended about 10 minutes after
liftoff.
Launch Injection Phase
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At this point, the vehicle was in a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of
195 kilometers.
(120 miles).
The vehicle coasted for several minutes.
Once the vehicle was at the correct point in its orbit, the
second stage was restarted
for a brief second burn.
Small rockets were then fired to spin up the third stage on a turntable
attached to the
second stage. The third stage separated and ignited its motor, sending
the spacecraft out of
Earth orbit.
After the final burn,
the spinning
upper stage and the attached spacecraft were despun so that the
spacecraft could be
separated and acquire its proper cruise orientation. This was accomplished by
a set of weights
that were reeled out from the side of the spinning vehicle on flexible lines,
much as spinning ice
skaters slow themselves by extending their arms. Approximately 30
minutes after liftoff,
the spacecraft separated from the Delta's third stage. The solar array was then
deployed, and the Deep Space Network acquired the signal from the spacecraft.
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