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Class: Surveillance. Type: Military. Destination: Surveillance Orbit. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Air Force. Manufacturer: Lockheed. Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried one 'C-Prime' panoramic camera, with a focal length of 61 cm and a ground resolution of 9 m. Typical orbit: 218 x 675 km, 82 deg inclinaton. Mass: 1,146 kg (2,526 lb).
KH-2 Chronology - 1960 October 26 - Discoverer 16 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1W. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure. Mass: 1,091 kg (2,405 lb).
KH-1; mission failed.
- 1960 October 26 - SRV 506 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1W. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure.
- 1960 November 12 - Discoverer 17 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1E. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 1,091 kg (2,405 lb). Perigee: 190 km (110 mi). Apogee: 984 km (611 mi). Inclination: 81.70 deg. Period: 96.40 min.
KH-1; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Mission failed. Obtained orbit successfully. Film separated before any camera operation leaving only 1.7 ft of film in capsule. On December 2, the Air Force revealed that exceedingly valuable information had been obtained from human tissues carried by Discoverer 17 (the cover story for the mission). The tissues had been exposed to an unexpectedly heavy dose of radiation for more than 50 hours in flight.
- 1960 December 7 - Discoverer 18 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1W. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 1,240 kg (2,730 lb). Perigee: 233 km (144 mi). Apogee: 510 km (310 mi). Inclination: 81.50 deg. Period: 92.00 min.
KH-2; film capsule recovered 3.1 days later. First successful mission employing KH-2 camera system.
- 1961 March 30 - SRV 509 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1W. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure.
- 1961 March 30 - Discoverer 22 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1W. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb).
KH-2; Mission failed.
- 1961 June 16 - Discoverer 25 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC2E. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Perigee: 222 km (137 mi). Apogee: 404 km (251 mi). Inclination: 82.10 deg. Period: 90.80 min.
KH-2; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Capsule recovered from water on orbit 32. Streaks throughout film.
- 1961 July 7 - Discoverer 26 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC1E. Launch Vehicle: Delta. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Perigee: 228 km (141 mi). Apogee: 803 km (498 mi). Inclination: 82.90 deg. Period: 94.90 min.
KH-2; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Main camera malfunctioned on pass 22.
- 1961 August 4 - Discoverer 28 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC2E. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb).
KH-2; Mission failed.
- 1961 August 4 - SRV 512 - Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: SLC2E. Launch Vehicle: Delta. FAILURE: Failure.
Bibliography:- McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page (launch records), Harvard University, 1997-present. Web Address when accessed: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
- JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Web Address when accessed: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.
- Bramscher, Robert G, Spaceflight, "A Survey of Launch Vehicle Failures", 1980, Volume 22, page 351.
- McDowell, Jonathan, Launch Log, October 1998. Web Address when accessed: http://hea-www.harvard.edu/~jcm/space/log/launch.html.
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