Vela 5A & 5B

Mission

Vela 5A & 5B

• Type: Government/Top Secret
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

Like its predecessor, the Vela, the Advanced Vela series of spacecraft were designed to monitor worldwide compliance with the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty.

Location

Space Launch Complex 41

Cape Canaveral, FL, USA

Space Launch Complex 41 has witnessed the launch of 111 rockets, including 111 orbital launch attempts, while Cape Canaveral, FL, USA, has been the site for 943 rocket launches.

Rocket

Lockheed Martin Titan IIIC

The Titan IIIC was an expendable launch system used by the United States Air Force from 1965 until 1982. It was the first Titan booster to feature large solid rocket motors and was planned to be used as a launcher for the Dyna-Soar, though the spaceplane was cancelled before it could fly. The majority of the launcher’s payloads were DoD satellites, for military communications and early warning, though one flight (ATS-6) was performed by NASA. The Titan IIIC was launched exclusively from Cape Canaveral while its sibling, the Titan IIID, was launched only from Vandenberg AFB.

Agency

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.