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Skylab 3

completedLaunch 1973-050
Launched 7/28/1973LEOService GSat LSS D
Admin Edit
Payloads
Assets deployed on this mission, enriched from spacecraft records.
2 payloads
Skylab S-150 Experiment
retired
Science Exploration
LEO
Skylab SL-3
retired
Human SpaceflightLEO
Launch Details
Launch Date
7/28/1973
Launch ID
1973-050
Launch Profile
Sat LSS D
Service Type
G
Orbit
LEO
Launch Stack
Operator
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Launch Vehicle
Saturn IB
Launch Site
Launch Complex 39B, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida (NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center, Florida)US
Payload Summary
Payload Count
2
Payload Status
retired 2
Payload Mission Types
Science Exploration 1 / Human Spaceflight 1
Track
Mentions
6
All verified mentions of this mission in source documents.

NASA initiated a rescue launch campaign for Skylab 3 with astronauts Vance Brand and Don Lind selected as the designated rescue crew for both Skylab 2 and Skylab 3.

PlanGovernanceValue 4.0Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue

Skylab 3 launched on July 28, 1973 on a 54-day mission.

PlanValue 4.0Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue

Three crewed Skylab missions were planned as Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4, with the SL-R plan using the next vehicle in line as the rescue vehicle.

PlanValue 4.0Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue

NASA canceled the Skylab 3 rescue mission on August 10, 1973 after determining the spacecraft could safely return the crew without rescue.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue

Three crewed Skylab missions were planned as Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4 with the next vehicle in line designated to serve as the rescue vehicle under the SL-R plan.

PlanGeneralValue 4.0Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue

Vance Brand and Don Lind were selected as the rescue astronauts for both Skylab 2 and Skylab 3.

GovernancePlanValue 3.7Jul 14, 2025Superman and the Skylab rescue