STS-26 "Discovery", the first mission to be flown after the "Challenger" accident, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 29, 1988. During the four-day mission, the crew successfully deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C), which was subsequently carried to orbit by the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) rocket. They also operated eleven mid-deck experiments. "Discovery" completed 64 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 3, 1988.