USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 11

Name: USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 11
Start: 1960-04-15T20:30:37.000Z
Location: Space Launch Complex 1E

Thor Agena A

Status

Success

Date

15 APR 1960

20:30

Launch Provider

United States Air Force

Launch Pad

Space Launch Complex 1E

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Mission Overview

Discoverer 11 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite. The eighth of ten operational flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, it successfully employed the first space-worthy camera film; however, Discoverer's film return capsule was lost during reentry on 16 Apr when the satellite's spin motors exploded.

Rocket

Thor Agena A

Mission Type

Government/Top Secret

Orbit

Low Earth 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