Space Brief 24 Aug 2025
Today's brief covers SpaceX's secretive military launch, advancements in nuclear fusion, and groundbreaking observations of dying stars and supernovae.
Launch Date
September 10, 1968
Launch Site
AFWTR
Launch Pad
SLC4W
Launch Vehicle
Titan IIIB
NORAD ID
03375
International Designator
1968-074A
Decay Date
9/25/1968
Name
OPS 5247
Alternative Name
OPS 5247
Type
Status
Owner
NRO/SAFSP
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
Apologies, there is no summary for this satellite yet. I am working to generate these for every object in the catalog, but it is going to take time.
Length
5.7
Diameter
1.5
Span
5.7
Dry Mass
2250
Launch Mass
2250
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
Unknown
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
GAMBIT-3 FM-16
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
LMSC
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
KH-8
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Today's brief covers SpaceX's secretive military launch, advancements in nuclear fusion, and groundbreaking observations of dying stars and supernovae.
Starlink satellite count 2026: SpaceX tops 10,000 active satellites, 10,037 working of 11,558 launched, under seven years after first launch.
Today's highlights include Europe's record space budget for independence, Transporter-15's successful launch of 140 payloads, and the damage to the Baikonur pad affecting upcoming ISS missions.
SpaceX successfully launched the Sentinel-6B satellite to monitor global sea levels while resuming daytime rocket launches. Furthermore, delays in the Starship timeline impact NASA's Artemis 3 mission schedule.
China successfully recovered a Long March 10C first stage booster, positioning the methalox rocket as its primary commercial launcher. Reusable boosters reshape Beijing's LEO constellation strategy.
FAA grounds Starship pending a mishap investigation into the V3 debut flight; return to flight hinges on FAA sign-off. Starlink 10-53 added 29 sats.
On 22 June 1978, an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory looked at photographic plates that had been stamped 'image defective' and noticed a small bump on the side of Pluto. The bump was a moon, and finding it finally let astronomers weigh a planet that had fooled them for half a century.
Thirty years ago, a Chinese rocket veered off course two seconds after liftoff, destroyed a village, and triggered a political scandal that reshaped how the United States controls space technology to this day