Oct 30 1982
From The Space Library
The U.S. Air Force launched two military communications satellites from Cape Canaveral on its Space Division's first Titan 34D and inertial upper stage (IUS). The first Defense Satellite Communications System III (DSCS) satellites went into orbit with parameters of 35,779/35,901-kilometer apogee, 35,641/35,839-kilometer perigee, 1440-minute period, and 2.5° inclination.
The Air Force Systems Command said that the launch was the culmination of five years of development effort on an experience base of 47 previous Titan III launches from the Cape. The DSCS system had handled national security communications since the late 1960s, maturing from simple short-lived satellites to flexible systems with six times the capacity and more than three times the on-orbit life. (AFSC Newsreview, Nov 19/82, 1)
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