USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 1

Name: USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 1
Start: 1959-02-28T21:49:16.000Z
Location: Space Launch Complex 1W

Thor Agena A

Status

Failure

Date

28 FEB 1959

21:49

Launch Provider

United States Air Force

Launch Pad

Space Launch Complex 1W

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Mission Overview

Discoverer I was the first of a series of satellites part of the CORONA reconnaissance program. This satellite didn't take a camera or film system as it was intended as a test. There were issues communicating with the satellite during flight with only intermittent signals being read.

Rocket

Thor Agena A

Mission Type

Government/Top Secret

Orbit

Polar Orbit

Stages

Livestream

Not available

Rocket Details

Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The rockets used Thor first stages and Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family.

Height

28 m

Diameter

2.44 m

Launch Mass

53 T

Thrust

667 kN