USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 2

Name: USAF Thor Agena A Discoverer 2
Start: 1959-04-13T21:18:39.000Z
Location: Space Launch Complex 1W

Thor Agena A

Status

Success

Date

13 APR 1959

21:18

Launch Provider

United States Air Force

Launch Pad

Space Launch Complex 1W

Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

Mission Overview

Discoverer II successfully reached orbit and took photos of Earth. However, when the capsule with the data was ejected in order to re-enter the atmosphere there was a timer malfunction meaning it seperated too early and landed over the North Pole rather than the intended target of Hawaii. The capsule was never recovered.

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