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Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-27

December 2, 1988 at 2:30 PM UTC

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 | STS-27 launch image
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December 2, 1988 at 2:30 PM UTC

Status: Launch Successful · Live feed refreshes every 30 seconds

Launch Complex 39B

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA · 28.6271, -80.6210

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Launch site
Launch Complex 39B

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch probability
-1%
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December 2, 1988 at 2:30 PM UTC
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December 2, 1988 at 2:30 PM UTC
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June 14, 2023 at 8:47 AM UTC

Mission description

STS-27 was the twenty-seventh and the third for Atlantis. It carried a classified payload for the Department of Defence. The heat shielding was substantially damaged during lift-off, impacting the right wing. The crew narrowly survived re-entry with a steal bar taking the brunt of the heat before beginning to burn through the aluminum structure.

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Launch of STS-27 (Atlantis)

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Vehicle

Space Shuttle

Height

56.1 m

Diameter

8 m

LEO capacity

27,500 kg

Successful launches

133

Launch complex

Launch Complex 39B

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

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