STS-53

STS-53 was the fifth mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery, launched on December 2, 1992, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and landing on December 9, 1992, at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The primary payload of STS-53 was a classified Department of Defense (DoD) mission. Details of the mission's objectives were largely kept secret. However, it is known that the mission deployed the USA-89 satellite (SDS-2), an Advanced Data Relay Satellite.

The crew of STS-53 consisted of: Commander David M. Walker, Pilot Robert D. Cabana, and Mission Specialists Guion S. Bluford, James S. Voss, and Michael R. Clifford.

STS-53 marked the last flight of a pure DoD mission on the Space Shuttle. Future military payloads were flown on missions with other objectives. The mission lasted for 7 days, 7 hours, and 19 minutes.