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1992 · Ministry of Aerospace Industry

Optus B2

failureLong March 2E | Optus B2

Australian communications satellite built by Hughes Space and Communications Company in California.

Overview

Date / time
December 21, 1992 at 11:21 AM UTC
Outcome
failure
Launch site
Launch Complex 2 (LC-2)
Mission
Optus B2
Mission type
Communications
Orbit achieved
Geostationary Orbit
FailureStructural failure of payload fairing or satellite 48 seconds after launch destroyed the satellite. The launcher continued its flight to low earth orbit, where it successfully jettisoned the debris. The cause of the failure has never been identified with certainty.
Launch vehicle
Long March 2E →
Launch provider
Ministry of Aerospace Industry →

Payloads deployed · 1

OPTUS B2 (AUSSAT B2)
LEO