Space Brief 12 Jan 2025
Today's briefing covers significant events including launch delays for SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, BepiColombo's landmark Mercury flyby, and the impact of Los Angeles fires on the space community.
Launch Date
December 6, 1980
Launch Site
Launch Pad
LC36B
Launch Vehicle
Atlas SLV-3D Centaur
NORAD ID
12445
International Designator
1980-098B
Epoch
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 23:53:42 GMT
Apogee
Calculating...
Perigee
Calculating...
Inclination
23.64°
Right Ascension
352.00°
Eccentricity
Calculating...
Argument of Perigee
107.31°
Period
201.48 min
Mean Motion
7.15 rev/day
Latitude
Calculating...
Longitude
Calculating...
Altitude
Calculating...
Velocity
Calculating...
Name
ATLAS CENTAUR R/B
Alternative Name
Centaur AC-54
Type
Status
Owner
LERC
Country
United States
Constellation
N/A
Related Satellites
Major Events
N/A
1 12445U 80098B 26184.99562541 .00006271 00000-0 13279-2 0 9993
2 12445 23.6354 351.9963 4089386 107.3144 300.5641 7.14723629 65286
Source: Celestrak
Length
9.1
Diameter
3.1
Span
9.1
Dry Mass
1800
Launch Mass
2000
Shape
Cyl
Radar Cross Section
16.0177
Visual Magnitude
Unknown
Color
Unknown
Material Composition
Unknown
Payload
Centaur D-1AR AC-54
Purpose
Unknown
Mission
Unknown
Manufacturer
GDC
Life Expectancy
Unknown
Bus
Centaur
Configuration
Unknown
Motor
Unknown
Equipment
Unknown
Power System
Unknown
ADCS
Unknown
Transmitter Frequency
Unknown
Learn more about satellites and other related topics.
Today's briefing covers significant events including launch delays for SpaceX's Starship and Blue Origin's New Glenn, BepiColombo's landmark Mercury flyby, and the impact of Los Angeles fires on the space community.
In today's brief: high-profile personnel changes in the Space Force, the inclusion of Space Force in historical political events, and strategic shifts in defense highlighted with a focus on satellite applications.
SpaceX launched 25 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg SFB on March 8, growing a constellation now totaling 9,924 active orbital nodes.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation has grown at an astonishing rate, now accounting for over 20% of all trackable objects in orbit. With plans for tens of thousands more, Starlink is on the cusp of forever changing the landscape of Earth's near-space environment.
SpaceX advances with Starship readiness, scrubs mysterious RRT-1 launch, and successfully deploys more Starlink satellites.
Today's Space Brief covers a major partnership in space tech distribution, China's orbital refueling preparations under U.S. scrutiny, recent U.S. defense budget reveals, and an exciting hyperspectral imagery release from Xplore.
SpaceX marks another milestone and setback with Starship Flight 7, achieving a successful booster catch but losing the upper stage during ascent.
SpaceX launches more Starlink satellites as Starship prepares for full stack testing, amidst Musk's new governmental role.