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| STS‑28 | |
|---|---|
| Name | STS‑28 |
| Mission type | Classified Department of Defense |
| Operator | National Aeronautics and Space Administration / United States Department of Defense |
| Mission duration | 5 days, 0 hours, 56 minutes, 34 seconds |
| Launch date | August 8, 1989 |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 |
| Landing date | August 13, 1989 |
| Landing site | Edwards Air Force Base |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) |
| Orbit periapsis | 285 km |
| Orbit apoapsis | 317 km |
| Orbit inclination | 57.0° |
| Previous mission | STS-28 |
| Next mission | STS-30 |
STS‑28
STS‑28 was a classified spaceflight mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in coordination with the United States Department of Defense using the Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099). Launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 in August 1989, the flight completed a series of clandestine satellite deployments and experiments before landing at Edwards Air Force Base. The mission marked a return of shuttle flights involving Department of Defense objectives following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster era adjustments and Return to Flight preparations.
The mission was planned and managed through collaboration among NASA, the United States Air Force, the National Reconnaissance Office, and contractors including Rockwell International, Martin Marietta, and TRW Inc.. Flight planning incorporated input from Johnson Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Ames Research Center, Langley Research Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on aspects of trajectory, payload integration, and mission safety. Coordination extended to Vandenberg Air Force Base contingency teams, Patrick Air Force Base range support, and international tracking networks such as the Haystack Observatory and Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex. Mission assurance procedures referenced standards from Federal Aviation Administration and engineering protocols at Boeing facilities and Pratt & Whitney propulsion groups.
The five-person crew combined NASA astronauts and personnel with prior Department of Defense experience, drawing on backgrounds from United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Test Pilot School, and the USAF Test Pilot School. Crew selections were influenced by expertise cultivated at Johnson Space Center and operational training at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Medical support and human factors oversight involved teams from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and USAF School of Aerospace Medicine. Emergency preparedness included coordination with NASA Flight Surgeon protocols and Air National Guard rescue assets stationed at Holloman Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base.
Payload manifested a primary classified satellite reportedly associated with the National Reconnaissance Office and Defense Intelligence Agency priorities, with hardware integration performed by Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Hughes Aircraft Company. Secondary payloads included experiments from NASA Glenn Research Center, materials studies linked to Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and biological investigations coordinated with National Institutes of Health biosafety oversight. Ground processing utilized facilities at Kennedy Space Center and contractor hangars managed by McDonnell Douglas engineers and Rockwell International payload specialists. Mission documentation and security clearance protocols referenced Presidential Directive, Executive Order procedures, and Office of Management and Budget controls for classified acquisitions.
Launch operations followed countdown procedures practiced at Kennedy Space Center with support from United States Air Force Eastern Range instrumentation and NASA Launch Director oversight. Orbital insertion placed the orbiter into a mid-inclination profile utilizing guidance from Mission Control Center (Houston), navigation updates from Inertial Measurement Unit systems and Global Positioning System augmentation, and orbital maintenance coordinated via Orbital Maneuvering System burns engineered by Rockwell International flight dynamics teams. Payload deployment activities were executed using the Payload Bay and maneuvered by the Canadarm robotic arm systems developed by SNC-Lavalin partners and integrated by SPAR Aerospace contractors. Reentry procedures adhered to thermal protection protocols validated by Ames Research Center wind tunnel testing and Langley Research Center computational fluid dynamics analyses before runway approach and touchdown at Edwards Air Force Base supported by Dryden Flight Research Center recovery crews.
The orbiter configuration featured systems from vendors such as Rockwell International, Boeing, Hamilton Standard, Goodrich Corporation, and Raytheon. Structural integrity relied on aluminum alloy frames and reinforced carbon composite panels certified through tests at Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory facilities. Propulsion components included main engines serviced at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne facilities with turbopump inspections conducted under standards from American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Avionics suites integrated processors from Honeywell International, communication links via TDRSS and Milstar relay concepts, and guidance algorithms influenced by research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University aerospace laboratories.
After landing, technical debriefs were held at Johnson Space Center with analysis teams from NASA Office of Inspector General, Government Accountability Office, and DoD evaluators including representatives from Air Force Space Command and the National Reconnaissance Office. Engineering follow-ups informed updates to orbiter maintenance at Palmdale Plant and refurbishment schedules at Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building. The mission influenced later shuttle payload policies reviewed by Congressional Research Service committees and contributed operational lessons applied to STS-30 and subsequent Department of Defense shuttle flights, while scientific data were archived with institutions such as Smithsonian Institution and National Archives and Records Administration.
Category:Space Shuttle missions Category:1989 in spaceflight