Encyclopedia Astronautica
Delta


deltaall.jpg
Delta LV Family
From left: Thor-Delta, Delta A, Delta B, Delta E, Delta M, Delta 2000, Delta 6000, Delta 7000 Heavy, Delta 3, Delta IV, Delta Heavy.
Credit: © Mark Wade
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New Generation LVs
From left: 3 versions of Atlas 5, 5 versions of Delta 4, 3 versions of Chinese NGLV, Ariane 5. Vertical scale is 10 m intervals.
Credit: © Mark Wade
The Delta launch vehicle was America's longest-lived, most reliable, and lowest-cost space launch vehicle. Development began in 1955 and it continued in service in the 21st Century despite numerous candidate replacements.

Delta began as Thor, a crash December 1955 program to produce an intermediate range ballistic missile using existing components, which flew thirteen months after go-ahead. Fifteen months after that, a space launch version flew, using an existing upper stage. The addition of solid rocket boosters allowed the Thor core and Able/Delta upper stages to be stretched. Costs were kept down by using first and second-stage rocket engines surplus to the Apollo program in the 1970's. Continuous introduction of new 'existing' technology over the years resulted in an incredible evolution - the payload into a geosynchronous transfer orbit increasing from 68 kg in 1962 to 3810 kg by 2002. Delta survived innumerable attempts to kill the program and replace it with 'more rationale' alternatives. By 2008 nearly 1,000 boosters had flown over a fifty-year career, and cancellation was again announced.

The Delta space launch family had its roots in the Thor IRBM. Thor was a 2400 km range missile with essentially the same characteristics as the Army's Jupiter. It was developed by Douglas Aircraft in one of the most accelerated crash programs in history. 'Chief Designer' of the Thor was Jack Bromberg. He was not educated formally as an engineer, but was smart and dynamic. Company owner Donald Douglas had hired him back in the 1930's. He was a major influence in Douglas' winning response to the USAF request for proposal, which emanated from USAF Missile Czar General Bernard Schriever.

The Air Force requirement was to build an IRBM around a discarded rocket motor design. The engine had been developed as the sustainer engine for the Atlas missile when the requirement was to launch a 2700 kg thermonuclear warhead over an intercontinental range. When it became apparent that the warhead could be reduced to less than half that weight, the Atlas was downsized, and the 68 tonne thrust sustainer motor was no longer required.

Douglas flew a first prototype only thirteen months after go-ahead. Sixty Thors were deployed to missile sites in Great Britain under Project Emily. After a few years the Thors were withdrawn from Britain (and the Jupiters from Turkey) as part of the secret codicil of Kennedy's deal to end the Cuban Missile Crisis. A few continued in an offensive military role as a nuclear-tipped anti-satellite system, based on Johnson Atoll in the Pacific, until the end of the early 1970's. Surplus Thors were used for a variety of suborbital re-entry vehicle tests.

After the Sputnik shock, all available assets were pressed into service. Thor was developed into a workhorse for the space program. The Able stage developed for the Vanguard project was mated to the Thor. A fundamental problem was that the thrust to weight ratio of the basic vehicle left little margin for growth or larger upper stages. This was solved by using Castor solid rockets strapped to the base of the vehicle to increase the lift-off thrust. Almost by accident rather than design, Thor developed into the Delta, the standard American medium-lift launcher, continually evolving through the use of more and larger strap-on boosters, a cylindrical and stretched core, and enlarged upper stages. The original Aerojet Able upper stage evolved into the Delta. From 1959-1972 the US Air Force and NASA flew versions of the launch vehicle using the same core and solid booster technology, but with the Agena upper stage rather than the Delta. After going through a bewildering myriad of military versions it emerged as the standardized, reliable and economical Delta commercial satellite launch vehicle by the mid-1970's. Improved Delta versions continued in production into the next millennium, with nearly 1,000 airframes completed, and the end of production announced yet again in 2008.

The innumerable 'deaths' and resurrections of the Delta are described in Aerojet - The Creative Company, 1995:

Using NASA terminology, their first Delta launch vehicle was basically an Air Force Able consisting of a Thor first stage, an Able second stage, and a solid propellant third stage of nominally 2760 lbf thrust produced by Allegheny Ballistics Laboratory (ABL). These vehicles and their powerplants are discussed above as part of the Able family. The first NASA contracts for these upper stages were in 1959, deliveries began in 1961, and numerous additional contracts followed. Also in 1961, NASA shifted to the Ablestar configuration. The first launch using this configuration occurred on May 13, 1960 and, according to one source on NASA history, did not reach orbit because of a malfunction in the Aerojet stage. Aerojet's findings indicate that it never got the signal to fire. The second attempt on August 12, 1960 was successful, and these engines were used until years later when the more powerful Air Force Delta second stage ablative engines became available.

At this point the Air Force, realizing the need for a larger space launch capability separate from the civilian efforts, selected the concept of using both stages of Titan II with various third and fourth stages, and later an array of zero stages. In very general terms, they retained the Agena for Thor and Atlas upper stages, and sought a new larger and simpler third stage, which was called Transtage. Agena was, however, regularly used on both Thor and Titan lower stages, and was often favored because it was a pump fed unit and was much lighter. The desirability of low chamber pressure, ablative chambers and a pressurized propellant feed system had been demonstrated in Vanguard, Hydra, and Ablestar, which led to the selection (for Titan) of the Transtage configuration using two chambers similar to, but larger than Ablestar. A variation of this became known as the Improved Delta stage, and was used extensively on Thor -so much so that the vehicle became known as Thor/Delta, and in some cases, only as Delta, or later as Thrust Augmented Delta, Long Tank Delta, Delta - PAM, and similar versions.

The resulting (improved) Delta launch vehicle underwent a bewildering succession of changes in configuration and performance (some incremental and some extensive) which is continuing to this day. All three stages have undergone upratings and replacements with more powerful engines, and there has been a succession of increasing numbers and sizes of strap-on solid propellant rocket zero stages. Aerojet's original ablative Delta engine had a radiation cooled nozzle exit section, burned N2O4/Aerozine-50 and produced a vacuum thrust of 9000 lbf. This unit also underwent several modifications, ending up with a thrust of 10,200 lbf, and a variety of tank sizes. A throttling (variable thrust) version was developed for a Navy application, and the Delta family could be generally distinguished from Transtage engines by the fact that the Delta gimbal point was at the head end (above the valve assembly), while the Transtage engines (in addition to being smaller) gimballed at the plane of the nozzle throat.

In the early 1970s the expendable launch business was going quite well technically, but changes to reduce cost and increase payload were examined continuously. A series of Delta Alternative Studies was made, some being funded by NASA, but mostly in-house. One such study by Aerojet explored the concept of using a single barrel of the LR-87 engine. This would be used to improve Delta performance, but sufficient development funds were not available and the shuttle was receiving all the emphasis, so the idea died. Another of these studies involved the use of liquid boosters in place of the nine solid boosters then attached to the Thor as a zero stage. The concept was to use either storable or LOX/RP-1 single LR-87 thrust chambers, pressure fed from filament wound tanks. The tanks would use thin metal liners to ensure freedom from leakage - as is still required today for high pressure, light weight filament wound vessels. Aerojet's solid rocket division had done some very encouraging work on high performance solid rocket engine chambers of this same type, and the prices were very attractive. The Aerojet team: Wally Dinsmore, Bob Frew, Lynn Meland. Howard Williams, and Chris Harlambakis from our Los Angeles office had many meetings and technical discussions at Huntington Beach. Two were memorable. The first was in October 1987 when their hosts kept slipping out of the meeting to check their stocks - this was the day the stock market fell drastically. No decisions were made that day. The second meeting almost didn't start. When the Aerojet contingent arrived, there was no one in the building because of an earthquake. The meeting finally got going, and just as Wally was to give his punch line cost and schedule estimate, the building shook with a severe aftershock and plaster dust fell from the ceiling. There were no decisions made that day either. This concept, like the others, couldn't get over the hurdle of the initial development cost - and probably the image of starting up a major new booster program.

Some additional insights into the early part of NASA's long succession of changes are provided by Dan Dembrow, who worked for NASA on the Delta Program at Goddard Space Flight Center:

The Delta launch vehicle was always viewed as an interim launch vehicle in NASA's stable, and was used to retain an intermediate size orbital payload capability until larger launch vehicles were developed. The Delta Project Manager at NASA, Bill Schindler, had a knack for keeping the program alive. He would participate in the launch vehicle assignment process, and when he found that Headquarters was about to kill the Delta on the grounds that a new mission exceeded its capabilities, he would assure them that Delta could do the job. Then he would challenge his technical staff, and often with the aid of the prime contractor, McDonnell Douglas, and our Goddard technical staff, to figure out a way to extend the flight envelope. This process occurred many times, and it was extremely difficult as production launch vehicles are not meant to undergo such constant changes in design. Delta payloads grew from about 200 lbm in low earth orbit in 1960 to about 4100 lbm in geosynchronous orbit by 1990.

In the 1960s, Goddard contracted directly for many of the components (including the second stage from Aerojet), and supplied them to McDonnell Douglas as government furnished equipment (GFE). During this period, Schindler oversold what Delta could do, and each successive payload had us in a quandary. Aerojet was always ready to test changes that would increase the second stage total impulse, and did so frequently. In one such case, a special test was required, and Aerojet went to a lot of trouble to upgrade the test stand for display to NASA management. Among the improvements was a new fail-safe system, and they even went to the point of repainting the bay. At the scheduled date the NASA managers had a schedule conflict, so I was the only NASA observer.

The test took place as scheduled, the instrumentation performed flawlessly, the test values were all nominal, and suddenly the test ended unexpectedly in mid-duration. Nothing within the control room showed anything wrong. When we went out into the test bay, the newly painted walls were on fire. The heat from the fire must have damaged some wiring in the fail-safe system, which promptly terminated the firing.

Aerojet did not realize the critical nature of the test, and this failure almost inadvertently killed the Delta program. Fortunately I was the only NASA observer, and a re-test was successfully conducted within a few days, so Schindler by that time was able to persuade NASA management that all was well. The critical decision was made to fly the mission on Delta.

The customary tug-of-war between the overall vehicle contractor and component system supplier over who should supply how much of the product, began as might be expected. As long as the project remained in Azusa, we had been able to keep the costs below anything Douglas could match. However, at the time when it was to be moved to Sacramento, management required the use of the "new" Commitment Proposal Estimating System which resulted in higher estimated costs. Also, the Douglas Huntington Beach plant was extremely low on work. As a final touch, Aerojet solved the problem by arrogantly sticking to the much higher price to our customer (Douglas). They promptly responded by replacing our system with a similar unit from TRW (surplus LM units) that unfortunately had slightly lower performance. Most of the production for NASA in that time period continued with this TRW engine. Douglas also had kept wearing away Aerojet's share of the project so that we went from supplying the complete stage to the present status of supplying only the thrust chamber assembly and propellant feed lines.

After a painful hiatus, we began work in 1975 on a complete "Fat Delta" stage for the Japanese N-II launch vehicle. At this point we received Air Force funding for performance improvement, one element of which was called the Delta I.T.I.P. (Improved Transtage Injector Program), and used an improved curved face, baffled injector. A still higher performance unit was developed, using a flat faced, baffled injector, and these were used in a two barrel configuration for a classified program. Their excellent performance made this chamber configuration popular, and was the basis for a long but relatively modest rate.

The Delta 3 introduced a new cryogenic upper stage in 1998. However the vehicle began tests just as the satellite market collapsed. It was flown only three times, two of the launches being failures. Meanwhile the most numerous and successful version, the Delta 7000 series, continued in service. The completely new-design Delta 4 was supposed to replace it in service, but the Delta 7000 remained not only lower cost but the most reliable launch vehicle produced in the United States. Nevertheless, in 2008, it was announced that production would be terminated and the Delta 4 would replace it.

The configuration of Delta vehicles was encoded for forty years as follows:

  • First digit: basic vehicle configuration:

    This was defined up to 2004 as follows:

    • 0 = Castor 2 solid propellant strap-ons, Long Tank Thor core with MB-3 engine
    • 1 = Castor 2 strap-ons, Extended Long Tank core with MB-3 engine
    • 2 = Castor 2 strap-ons, Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine (derived from surplus H-1 engines of the Saturn IB).
    • 3 = Castor 4 solid propellant strap-ons, Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine
    • 4 = Castor 4A strap-ons, Extended Long Tank core with MB-3 engine
    • 5 = Castor 4A strap-ons, Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine
    • 6 = Castor 4A strap-ons, Extra Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine
    • 7 = GEM-40 solid propellant strap-ons, Extra Extended Long Tank core with RS-27A engine
    • 8 = GEM-46 solid propellant strap-ons, Delta-3 strengthened Extra Extended Long Tank core with RS-27A engine
    • 9 = GEM-60 solid propellant strap-ons, Delta-4 Lox/LH2 cryogenic core with RS-68 engine.

    After 2004 this was revised to:

    • 2 = Delta II first stage (previously Delta 6000 and 7000 series)
    • 3 = Delta III first stage (previously Delta 8000 series)
    • 4 = Delta IV first stage (previously Delta 9000 series)

  • Second digit: Number of solid propellant strap-ons (0, 3, or 9 prior to Delta IV. 0, 2, or 4 for Delta-4).

  • Third digit: Second stage

    • 0 = Delta storable propellant stage with AJ10-118 series engines
    • 1 = Delta storable propellant stage with TR-201 engines (surplus TRW Apollo Lunar Module upper stage engines)
    • 2 = Delta K storable propellant stage with AJ10-118K engine
    • 3 = Delta-3 Lox/LH2 cryogenic upper stage with RL10B-2 engine
    • 4 = Delta-4 Lox/LH2 cryogenic upper stage with 4 m diameter
    • 5 = Delta-4 Lox/LH2 cryogenic upper stage with 5 m diameter

  • Fourth digit: Third stage

    • 0 = No third stage
    • 1 = Not used
    • 2 = Not used
    • 3 = Star 37D / TE-364-3 solid propellant kick stage
    • 4 = Star 37E / TE-364-4 solid propellant kick stage
    • 5 = Star-48B / PAM-D solid propellant kick stage (often listed as '0' upper stage with a PAM-D due to the modular nature of the PAM configuration).
    • 6 = Star 37FM solid propellant kick stage
  • Optional letter after fourth character: An 'H' here indicated a 'Heavy' configuration. For Delta II, this was use of 46 inch diameter GEM solid strap-on motors in place of the standard Castor motors. For Delta IV, it indicated use of two strap-on Common Booster Cores (CBC) to supplement the CBC on the core stage.
  • Dash number: Payload fairing. For Delta II, this indicates the diameter of the fairing in feet. For Delta III or Delta IV, it indicates the length of the fairing in meters.

More... - Chronology...
Associated Spacecraft
  • Pioneer 0-1-2 American lunar orbiter. 3 launches, 1958.08.17 (Pioneer (1)) to 1958.11.08 (Pioneer 2). Pioneers 0, 1 and 2 were the first U. S. spacecraft to attempt to leave Earth orbit. More...
  • KH-1 American military surveillance satellite. 22 launches, 1959.01.21 (Thor Agena test) to 1960.09.13 (Discoverer 15). First US film reconnaissance satellite, and first polar orbiting satellite. More...
  • S-2 American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1959.08.07, Explorer 6. First Earth photo; radiation data. More...
  • Transit American navigation satellite. 46 launches, 1959.09.17 (Transit 1A) to 1988.08.25 (Transit O-31). The Transit Navigation System began development in 1958. More...
  • Midas American military early warning satellite. 18 launches, 1960.02.26 (Midas 1) to 1966.10.05 (Midas 12). Part of a then-secret USAF program known as WS-117L, the MIDAS (Missile Defense Alarm System) program began in November 1958. More...
  • Pioneer 5 American solar satellite. One launch, 1960.03.11. Pioneer 5 was designed to provide the first map of the interplanetary magnetic field. The vehicle functioned for a record 106 days, and communicated with Earth from a record distance of 36.2 million km. More...
  • TIROS American earth weather satellite. 12 launches, 1960.04.01 (Tiros 1) to 1966.02.28 (ESSA 2). TIROS spacecraft were the beginning of a long series of polar-orbiting meteorological satellites. More...
  • GRAB American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 9 launches, 1960.04.13 (Dummy subsatellite) to 1965.03.09 (Solrad 7B). GRAB, the first US electronic intelligence (ELINT) satellite, was not declassified until June 1998. More...
  • Echo American passive communications satellite. 2 launches, 1960.05.13 (Echo 1) and 1960.08.12 (Echo 1). The Echo satellites were NASA's first experimental communications satellite project. More...
  • Courier American communications technology satellite. 2 launches, 1960.08.18 (Courier 1A) and 1960.10.04 (Courier 1B). Experimental communications. More...
  • KH-2 American military surveillance satellite. 10 launches, 1960.10.26 (SRV 506) to 1961.08.04 (SRV 512). Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried one 'C-Prime' panoramic camera, with a focal length of 61 cm and a ground resolution of 9 m. More...
  • KH-5 American military surveillance satellite. 16 launches, 1961.02.17 (Discoverer 20) to 1964.08.21 (KH-5 9066A). US mapping satellite. Carried one frame camera, with a focal length of 76 mm, and a ground resolution of 140 m. More...
  • Lofti American communications technology satellite. 2 launches, 1961.02.22 (Lofti) and 1963.06.15 (Lofti 2A). The Low Frequency Trans-Ionospheric (LOFTI) satellites were produced as a cooperative effort with the Radio Division. More...
  • P-14 American solar satellite. 3 launches, 1961.02.24 (Explorer) to 1961.05.24 (Explorer). Magnetic field data. More...
  • Injun American earth magnetosphere satellite. 5 launches, 1961.06.29 (Injun 1) to 1968.08.08 (Explorer 40). Radiation decay data satellite. May also have been a cover for some NRL ELINT satellites. More...
  • EPE American solar satellite. 4 launches, 1961.08.16 (Explorer 12) to 1964.12.21 (Explorer 26). Radiation and solar wind data. More...
  • KH-3 American military surveillance satellite. 12 launches, 1961.08.30 (Discoverer 29) to 1962.01.13 (SRV 571). Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried one 'C-Double Prime' panoramic camera, with a focal length of 61 cm and a ground resolution of 7.6 m. More...
  • TRAAC American technology satellite. One launch, 1961.11.15. Transit Research and Attitude Control. More...
  • Oscar International series of amateur radio communications satellites. Operational, first launch 1961.12.12. Launched in a variety of configurations and by many nations. More...
  • Lofti 2 American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1962.01.24. Carried 5 satellites. More...
  • SECOR American earth geodetic satellite. 13 launches, 1962.01.24 (Secor) to 1969.04.14 (SECOR 13). More...
  • SURCAL American military target satellite. 15 launches, 1962.01.24 (Surcal) to 1969.09.30 (Surcal). More...
  • Ferret American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 19 launches, 1962.02.21 (Ferret 1) to 1971.07.16 (OPS 8373). More...
  • KH-4 American military surveillance satellite. 31 launches, 1962.02.27 (Discoverer 38) to 1963.12.21 (KH-4 9062). Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried two 'Mural' panoramic cameras, with a focal length of 61 cm, and a ground resolution of 7.6 m. More...
  • OSO American solar satellite. 9 launches, 1962.03.07 (OSO 1) to 1975.06.21 (OSO 8). The Orbiting Solar Observatories, developed for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, were designed primarily as stabilized platforms for solar-oriented scientific instruments. More...
  • Ariel American earth magnetosphere satellite. 6 launches, 1962.04.26 (Ariel 1) to 1979.06.02 (Ariel 6). Ionospheric studies; returned X-ray, ionospheric, cosmic ray data. More...
  • Anna American earth geodetic satellite. 2 launches, 1962.05.10 (Anna 1A) and 1962.10.31 (Anna 1B). More...
  • Telstar American communications satellite. 2 launches, 1962.07.10 (Telstar 1) and 1963.05.07 (Telstar 2). More...
  • ERS American earth magnetosphere satellite. 7 launches, 1962.09.17 (TRS) to 1967.04.28. Environmental Research Satellites were especially designed for piggyback launching from large primary mission vehicles. More...
  • Alouette Canadian earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1962.09.29 (Alouette 1) and 1965.11.29 (Alouette 2). Ionospheric research. More...
  • TAVE American technology satellite. One launch, 1962.09.29. Thor Agena Vibration Experiment More...
  • Starfish American earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1962.10.26 (Starfish Radiation 1) and 1965.09.02 (Starfish Radiation 2). Satellite collected artificial radiation data (resulting from atmospheric and exoatmospheric nuclear explosions). More...
  • NRL ELINT American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 6 launches, 1962.12.13 (Black Sphere) to 1969.09.30 (Surcal). NRL ELINT satellite. More...
  • Relay American communications technology satellite. 2 launches, 1962.12.13 (Relay 1) and 1964.01.21 (Relay 2). More...
  • Syncom American communications technology satellite. 3 launches, 1963.02.14 (Syncom I; Syncom 1) to 1964.08.19 (Syncom 3). Experimental telecommunications satellite. More...
  • P 11 American technology satellite. One launch, 1963.03.18, P-11. More...
  • SSF American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 54 launches, 1963.03.18 (P-11 No. 1) to 1989.08.08 (USA 41). More...
  • KH-6 American military surveillance satellite. 3 launches, 1963.03.18 (KH-6 8001) to 1963.07.31 (KH 4A-07). US reconnaissance satellite, lashed together to meet an emergency requirement for close-up imaging of a suspected Soviet ICBM site near Tallinn. More...
  • AE American earth atmosphere satellite. 5 launches, 1963.04.03 (Explorer 17) to 1975.11.20 (Explorer 55). Atmospheric research. More...
  • RADOSE American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1963.06.15. Radiation dosimeter measurements. More...
  • KH-4A American military surveillance satellite. 70 launches, 1963.08.25 (KH-4A 1001) to 1969.09.22 (SRV 743R). Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried two 'J-1' panoramic cameras, with a focal length of 61 cm, and a ground resolution of 2.7 m. More...
  • LAMPO American military target satellite. One launch, 1963.08.29. More...
  • IMP American earth magnetosphere satellite. 10 launches, 1963.11.27 (Explorer 18) to 1973.10.26 (Explorer 50). More...
  • GGSE American gravity gradient technology satellite. 5 launches, 1964.01.11 (GGSE 1) to 1967.05.31 (GGSE 5). Developed designs and deployment techniques later applied to the NOSS / Whitecloud naval reconnaissance satellites. More...
  • AFP-43 American military technology satellite. 4 launches, 1964.01.19 (OPS 3367A) to 1964.06.18 (OPS 4467B). Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology. More...
  • Echo 2 American passive communications satellite. One launch, 1964.01.25. Passive communications satellite; balloon; 1st joint US/USSR space mission. More...
  • BE American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1964.03.19, Explorer (20). Also known as Explorer S-66. More...
  • Starflash American earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1964.06.13 (Starflash 1A) and 1964.08.21 (Starflash 1B). Sub-satellite of unknown purpose, released from KH-5 photo reconnaisance satellites on two missions. More...
  • Nimbus American earth weather satellite. 8 launches, 1964.08.28 (Nimbus 1) to 1978.10.13 (Nimbus 7). More...
  • OGO American earth magnetosphere satellite. 6 launches, 1964.09.05 (OGO 1) to 1969.06.05 (OGO 6). More...
  • Calsphere American military target satellite. 11 launches, 1964.10.06 (Calsphere 1) to 1971.02.17 (Calsphere 5). Radar calibration objects (but also cover for other classified subsatellites). More...
  • DMSP Block 4A American earth weather satellite. 13 launches, 1965.01.19 (DMSP-Block-4A F1) to 1969.07.23 (DMSP-Block-4A F13). Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. More...
  • DODECAPOLE American military target satellite. 2 launches, 1965.03.09 (DODECAPOLE 1/Porcupine 1) and 1965.08.13 (Dodecapole 2). More...
  • Intelsat 1 American communications satellite. One launch, 1965.04.06. Intelsat 1, also called Early Bird, was the world's first commercial communications satellite. It provided the first scheduled transoceanic TV service and was operational for 3.5 years. More...
  • Tempsat American military target satellite. 2 launches, 1965.08.13 (Tempsat 1) and 1969.09.30 (Tempsat 2). Surveillance Calibration; black 14 inch diameter. sphere. More...
  • GEOS American solar satellite. 3 launches, 1965.11.06 (Explorer 29) to 1975.04.09 (Geos 3). The GEOS spacecraft were gravity-gradient-stabilized, solar-cell powered satellites designed exclusively for geodetic studies. More...
  • DME American earth ionosphere satellite. One launch, 1965.11.29, Explorer 31. Explorer 31, the Direct Measurement Explorer, was launched with a Canadian Alouette II on November 28, 1965, on a Thor-Agena rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. More...
  • Pioneer 6-7-8-9-E American solar satellite. 5 launches, 1965.12.16 (Pioneer 6) to 1969.08.27 (Pioneer E). Pioneers 6, 7, 8, and 9 were created to make the first detailed, comprehensive measurements of the solar wind, solar magnetic field and cosmic rays. More...
  • Pageos American earth geodetic satellite. 3 launches, 1966.06.24 (Pageos 1) to (Pageos canister half). 100 foot diameter. balloon. More...
  • TOS American earth weather satellite. 7 launches, 1966.10.02 (ESSA 3) to 1969.02.26 (ESSA 9). TOS spacecraft marked the first operational system of US polar-orbiting meteorological satellites. More...
  • Intelsat 2 American communications satellite. 4 launches, 1966.10.26 (Intelsat 2 F-1) to 1967.09.28 (Intelsat 2 F-4). The Intelsat 2 series expanded ITSO coverage to include 2/3 of the Earth's surface. More...
  • Biosatellite American biology satellite. 3 launches, 1966.12.14 (Biosatellite 1) to 1969.06.29 (Biosatellite 3). Biosatellite was a NASA spacecraft designed in the early 1960's to study the effects of the space environment on living organisms in missions. More...
  • Timation American navigation technology satellite. 2 launches, 1967.05.31 (Timation 1) and 1969.09.30 (Timation 2). More...
  • Aurora American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1967.06.29. Investigated aurora borealis. More...
  • KH-4B American military surveillance satellite. 24 launches, 1967.09.15 (KH-4B 1101) to 1972.05.25 (KH-4B 1117). Early US reconnaissance satellite. Carried two 'J-3' panoramic cameras, with a focal length of 61 cm, and a ground resolution of 1.8 m. More...
  • TTS American tracking network technology satellite. 2 launches, 1967.12.13 (TTS 1) and 1968.11.08 (TTS 2; TATS 2 (TETR 2)). Tested Apollo tracking network. More...
  • RAE American radio astronomy satellite. 2 launches, 1968.07.04 (Explorer 38) to 1973.06.10 (Explorer 49). More...
  • Intelsat 3 American communications satellite. 8 launches, 1968.09.19 (Intelsat-3 F-1) to 1970.07.23 (Intelsat 3 F-8). Intelsat 3 spacecraft were used to relay commercial global telecommunications including live TV. More...
  • HEOS European earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1968.12.05 (HEOS 1) and 1972.01.31 (HEOS 2). Highly Eccentric Orbiting Satellite; examined magnetic fields outside of Earth's magnetosphere. More...
  • Isis Canadian earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1969.01.30 (Isis 1) and 1971.04.01 (Isis 2). Ionospheric measurements; data correlated with measurements from Alouette 1. More...
  • PAC American technology satellite. One launch, 1969.08.09. Package Attitude Control; semi-active gravity gradient stabilization tests. More...
  • TETR American tracking network technology satellite. 2 launches, 1969.08.27 (TETR C) and 1971.09.29 (TETR 3). Test satellite for NASA's Manned Space Flight Network. More...
  • SOICAL American military target satellite. 2 launches, 1969.09.30 (SOICAL Cone) and (SOICAL Cylinder). Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology. More...
  • NATO 1 British military communications satellite. 4 launches, 1969.11.22 (Skynet 1A) to 1971.02.03 (NATO 2). Military communications. More...
  • ITOS American earth weather satellite. 8 launches, 1970.01.23 (ITOS 1) to 1976.07.29 (NOAA 5). ITOS was the follow-on to the TIROS series of polar-orbiting US weather satellites, and marked the beginning of the use of the NOAA designator. More...
  • SERT American ion engine technology satellite. One launch, 1970.02.04. Electric ion engine tests. More...
  • DMSP Block 5A American earth weather satellite. 3 launches, 1970.02.11 (DMSP-Block-5A F1) to 1971.02.17 (DMSP Block 5A F3). Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. More...
  • TOPO American earth geodetic satellite. One launch, 1970.04.08. US Army topographic / geodesic satellite launched in 1970. More...
  • CEPE American satellite. One launch, 1970.12.11. Cylindrical Electrostatic Probe Experiment (orbital experiment attached to Delta second stage) More...
  • SESP American military technology satellite. 3 launches, 1971.06.08 (SESP 70-1) to 1976.07.08 (SESP 74-2). Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology. More...
  • DMSP Block 5B American earth weather satellite. 5 launches, 1971.10.14 (DMSP-Block-5B F1) to 1974.03.16 (DMSP-Block-5B F5). Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. More...
  • ASTEX American technology satellite. One launch, 1971.10.17. Space Test Program; technology experiments. More...
  • NOSS American military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. 22 launches, 1971.12.14 (OPS 7898 P/L 1) to 1993.08.02 (TLD). Ocean surveillance; aka White Cloud type spacecraft; Navy Ocean Surveillance Satellite; PARCAE. More...
  • TD-1A European technology satellite. One launch, 1972.03.12. Sixth satellite of ESRO. More...
  • Landsat 1-2-3 American earth land resources satellite. 3 launches, 1972.07.23 (Landsat 1) to 1978.03.05 (Landsat 3). The first 3 Landsat missions were also known as the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) series. More...
  • HS 333 American communications satellite. 8 launches, 1972.11.10 (Anik A1) to 1979.08.10 (Westar 3). The satellites, act as space repeaters capable of receiving transmissions from earth stations and retransmitting them to other earth stations in Canada. More...
  • Skynet British military communications satellite. 2 launches, 1974.01.19 (Skynet 2A) and 1974.11.23 (Skynet 2B). More...
  • SMS American earth weather satellite. 2 launches, 1974.05.17 (SMS 1) and 1975.02.06 (SMS 2). Synchronous Meteorological Satellite. More...
  • DMSP Block 5C American earth weather satellite. 3 launches, 1974.08.09 (DMSP-Block-5C F1) to 1976.02.19 (DMSP-Block-5C F3). Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. More...
  • Intasat Spanish communications technology satellite. One launch, 1974.11.15. Spanish communications satellite. More...
  • Symphonie French communications technology satellite. One launch, 1974.12.18. Experimental telecommunications satellite, constructed jointly by France and the Federal Republic of Germany. More...
  • COS European technology satellite. One launch, 1975.08.09. CERS/ESRO satellite, first European Space Agency satellite. More...
  • Spacebus 100 French communications satellite. 12 launches, 1975.08.26 (Symphonie 2) to 1994.01.24 (Eutelsat II F5). 3-axis stabilized using bipropellant thrusters (750 kg propellant - unified with apogee insertion and maneuvering propulsion) and momentum wheels. More...
  • ETS Japanese technology satellite. 7 launches, 1975.09.09 (Kiku 1) to 2006.12.16 (Kiku 8). More...
  • GOES American earth weather satellite. 8 launches, 1975.10.16 (GOES 1) to 1987.02.26 (GOES 7). Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. More...
  • AS 1000 American communications satellite. 3 launches, 1975.12.13 (Satcom 1) to 1979.12.07 (RCA Satcom 3). More...
  • CTS Canadian communications satellite. One launch, 1976.01.17. Canadian Telecommunications Satellite project. Only one spacecraft launched. More...
  • Marisat American communications satellite. 3 launches, 1976.02.19 (Marisat 1) to 1976.10.14 (Marisat 3). Maritime communications. More...
  • JISS Japanese earth ionosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1976.02.29 (ISS 1) to 1978.02.16 (ISS 2). JISS - national name "Ume". Spin-stabilized; Ionospheric Sounder, Radio Noise Receiver, Plasma Measuring Equipment, Ion Mass Spectrometer, and other instruments. More...
  • NATO 3 British military communications satellite. 4 launches, 1976.04.22 (NATO 3A) to 1984.11.14 (NATO 3D). Military communications. More...
  • LAGEOS American earth geodetic satellite. 2 launches, 1976.05.04 (Lageos) and 1992.10.22 (Lageos 2). The LAGEOS satellites were passive vehicles covered with retroreflectors designed to reflect laser beams transmitted from ground stations. More...
  • DMSP Block 5D American earth weather satellite. 5 launches, 1976.09.11 (AMS 1) to 1980.07.15 (AMS 5). Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. More...
  • ESA-Geos European earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1977.04.20 (ESA-Geos 1) and 1978.07.14 (ESA-Geos 2). Magnetospheric research. European Space Agency satellite. More...
  • GMS Japanese earth weather satellite. 5 launches, 1977.07.14 (Himawari 1) to 1995.03.18 (Himawari 5). The Geostationary Meteorological Satellite series were spin-stabilized satellites. More...
  • Sirio Italian communications technology satellite. 2 launches, 1977.08.25 (Sirio 1) and 1982.09.09 (Sirio 2). SIRIO was a spin stabilized geostationary experimental communications satellite with a nominal life of two years. More...
  • ECS/OTS European communications satellite. 20 launches, 1977.09.13 (OTS 1) to 2001.02.07 (Skynet 4F). More...
  • ISEE American earth magnetosphere satellite. 3 launches, 1977.10.22 (ISEE 1) to 1978.08.12 (ISEE 3). These Explorer-class heliocentric spacecraft were part of the mother/daughter/heliocentric mission (ISEE 1, 2, and 3). More...
  • Meteosat European earth weather satellite. 7 launches, 1977.11.23 (Meteosat 1) to 1997.09.02 (Meteosat 7). More...
  • CS-1 Japanese communications satellite. One launch, 1977.12.15, Sakura. This Medium-capacity Communications Satellite for Experimental Purposes was a spin stabilized geostationary communications satellite. More...
  • IUE American ultraviolet astronomy satellite. One launch, 1978.01.26. More...
  • PIX American technology satellite. One launch, 1978.03.05. Plasma Interaction Experiment. More...
  • Yuri Japanese communications technology satellite. One launch, 1978.04.07. Medium-scale broadcasting satellite for experimental purposes. More...
  • CAMEO American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1978.10.13. Released barium cloud. More...
  • Anik Canadian communications satellite. 2 launches, 1978.12.15 (Anik B1 (Telesat 4)) and (DRIMS). Function - telecommunications. Operating entity - Telesat Canada. More...
  • SCATHA American communications technology satellite. One launch, 1979.01.30. More...
  • Ayame Japanese communications technology satellite. 2 launches, 1979.02.06 (Ayame 1) and 1980.02.22 (Ayame 2). Experimental Communications Satellite (ECS). Communications and propagation experiments of satellite-communication systems. More...
  • SMM American solar satellite. One launch, 1980.02.14. The Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) was intended primarily to study solar flares and related phenomena. More...
  • HS 376 American communications satellite. 56 launches, 1980.11.15 (SBS 1) to 2003.09.27 (E-Bird). Mass 654 kg at beginning-of-life in geosynchronous orbit. Spin stabilized at 50 rpm by 4 hydrazine thrusters with 136 kg propellant. More...
  • Insat 1 Indian communications satellite. 5 launches, 1981.06.19 (Apple) to 1990.06.12 (Insat-1D; Insat 1D). Experimental communications satellite. More...
  • Dynamics Explorer American earth magnetosphere satellite. 2 launches, 1981.08.03 (Dynamics Explorer 1) and (Dynamics Explorer 2). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space. More...
  • MicroSat SSTL British technology satellite. 3 launches, 1981.10.06 (CERISE) to 1990.01.22 (Oscar 14). Original version of the Surrey Microsat bus. More...
  • SME American solar satellite. One launch, 1981.10.06. The Solar Mesosphere Explorer satellite was developed to investigate the processes that create and destroy ozone in the Earth's upper atmosphere. More...
  • AS 3000 American communications satellite. 25 launches, 1981.11.20 (RCA Satcom 4; RCA Satcom 3R) to 1996.01.14 (Koreasat 2). More...
  • Landsat 4-5 American earth land resources satellite. 2 launches, 1982.07.16 (Landsat 4) to 1984.03.01 (Landsat 5). More...
  • IRAS American infrared astronomy satellite. 2 launches, 1983.01.26 (IRAS) and (PIX 2). All-sky survey of astronomical IR bodies. More...
  • CS-2 Japanese communications satellite. 2 launches, 1983.02.04 (Sakura 2A) to 1983.08.05 (Sakura 2B). Business communications. Launching organization NASDA (National Space Development Agency of Japan). More...
  • Exosat European x-ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 1983.05.26. EXOSAT was a space research satellite of the European Space Agency. More...
  • AMPTE American earth magnetosphere satellite. 4 launches, 1984.08.16 (CCE-1) to (Solar Cell Experiment). Charge Composition Explorer; detected tracer ions released into magnetosphere by IRM. More...
  • ASC British military communications satellite. 3 launches, 1985.08.27 (ASC-1) to 1991.04.13 (ASC-2 / Spacenet F4). More...
  • MABES Japanese technology satellite. One launch, 1986.08.12. MABES (Jindai). Experiment on the levitation of the magnetic bearing flywheel under zero-g condition. More...
  • EGS Japanese earth geodetic satellite. One launch, 1986.08.12. Experimental Geophysical Payload; new launch vehicle test flight. EGS (Ajisai). Improvement of the accuracy of domestic geodetic triangulation network. More...
  • SDI American military strategic defense satellite. 18 launches, 1986.09.05 (USA 19) to 1989.03.24 (USA 36). SDIO sensor tests. More...
  • Marine Observation Satellite Japanese earth sea satellite. 2 launches, 1987.02.19 (MOS-1) to 1990.02.07 (MOS-1b). The MOS 1A and 1B satellites, also known as Momo 1A and 1B, were Japan's first Earth resources satellites. More...
  • CS-3 Japanese communications satellite. 2 launches, 1988.02.19 (Sakura 3A) to 1988.09.16 (Sakura 3B). To continue communications services provided by the communications satellite 2 (CS-2). To meet increasing and diversifying demands for communications. More...
  • GPS Block 2 and 2A American navigation satellite. 28 launches, 1989.02.14 (USA 35) to 1997.11.06 (USA 134). The Navstar GPS constellation worked in concert with ground receivers to give precise location information to military and civilian users anywhere in the world. More...
  • COBE American infrared astronomy satellite. One launch, 1989.11.18. More...
  • HS 601 American communications satellite bus. First launch 1990.01.09. 3-axis unified ARC 22 N and one Marquardt 490 N bipropellant thrusters, Sun and Barnes Earth sensors and two 61 Nms 2-axis gimbaled momentum bias wheels. More...
  • Debut Japanese communications technology satellite. One launch, 1990.02.07. Boom, umbrella test. DEBUT "Orizuru". Experiment of extending and contracting boom; experiment of expanding and contracting aerodynamic brake. Launching organization NASDA. More...
  • RME American military strategic defense satellite. One launch, 1990.02.14, USA 52. The Relay Mirror Experiment (RME) was launched as a dual payload with LACE. More...
  • LACE American military strategic defense satellite. One launch, 1990.02.14, USA 51. The Low-power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment was part of a dual payload with RME carrying laser defense experiments. More...
  • ROSAT German x-ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 1990.06.01. West German extreme UV, X-ray telescope; all-sky survey. More...
  • Eurostar 1000 French communications satellite. 4 launches, 1990.10.30 (Inmarsat 2 F1) to 1992.04.15 (Inmarsat 2 F4). The Eurostar 1000 platform was the first generation of Matra Marconi Space GEO satellite platforms serving mainly commercial telecoms applications. More...
  • Losat American military strategic defense satellite. One launch, 1991.07.07. Test flight of DOD sensors; Low Altitude Satellite Experiment. More...
  • JERS Japanese earth land resources satellite. One launch, 1992.02.11. JERS-1 (Japanese Research Satellite-1; FUYO-1) was Japan's second Earth observation satellite. More...
  • EUVE American ultraviolet astronomy satellite. One launch, 1992.06.07. The EUVE Extreme Ultra-Violet Explorer mission mapped space in the 70- to 760-angstrom portion of the spectrum and conducted detailed ultraviolet examinations of selected celestial targets. More...
  • Geotail Japanese earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1992.07.24. Measured magnetosphere and Earth's geomagnetic tail; Diffuse Ultraviolet Explorer package bolted to Delta 2 second stage. More...
  • DUVE Japanese earth atmosphere satellite. One launch, 1992.07.24. Diffuse Ultraviolet Explorer package bolted to Delta 2 2nd stage. More...
  • SEDS American tether technology satellite. 4 launches, 1993.03.30 (SEDS 1) to 1994.03.10 (SEDS 2 Deployer). More...
  • PMG American tether technology satellite. 2 launches, 1993.06.26 (PMG) and (PMG). Plasma Motor Generator More...
  • Wind American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1994.11.01. Wind was designed to provide continuous measurement of the solar wind, particularly charged particles and magnetic field data. More...
  • SURFSAT-1 American technology satellite. One launch, 1995.11.04, SURFSAT. SURFSAT-1 was a small satellite built by undergraduate college students and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to support experiments by NASA's Deep Space Network. More...
  • Radarsat Canadian earth resources radar satellite. Two launches, 1995.11.04 (Radarsat) and 2007.12.14 (Radarsat). Canada's Radarsat was a radar satellite featuring variable resolution, and different view angles at a number of preset positions. More...
  • XTE American x-ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 1995.12.30. X-ray Timing Explorer; X-ray astronomy. More...
  • NEAR American asteroid probe. One launch, 1996.02.17. NEAR (Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous) was the first spacecraft ever to orbit and then (improvisationally) land on an asteroid. More...
  • Polar American earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1996.02.24. Polar was designed to measure the entry, energization, and transport of plasma into the magnetosphere as part of the International Solar Terrestrial Program (ISTP). More...
  • MSX American military strategic defense satellite. One launch, 1996.04.24. More...
  • Mars Global Surveyor American Mars orbiter. One launch, 1996.11.07. Mars Global Surveyor was a polar orbiting spacecraft designed to monitor Martian global weather and provide comprehensive maps of surface topography and the distribution of minerals. More...
  • Mars Pathfinder American Mars rover. 3 launches, 1996.12.04 (Mars Pathfinder) to (Mars Pathfinder). Mars lander with surface rover. Landed a mini-rover to the Mars surface. Test of airbag and rover technologies. First successful Mars landing mission since Viking. More...
  • GPS Block 2R American navigation satellite. 21 launches, 1997.01.17 (USA 132) to 2009-08-17. Launches began in 1997 of 'GPS-IIR' replenishment satellites, produced by General Electric Astrospace (later acquired by Lockheed Missiles & Space). More...
  • LM 700 American communications satellite. 98 launches, 1997.05.05 (Iridium 8) to 2002.06.20 (Iridium SV98 ). The LM 700 had its first use in the Iridium system, a commercial communications network comprised of a minimum of 66 LEO spacecraft. More...
  • ACE American solar satellite. One launch, 1997.08.25. More...
  • Globalstar American communications satellite. 72 launches, 1998.02.14 (Globalstar FM1) to 2007.10.20 (Globalstar D). The Globalstar constellation was a Medium Earth Orbit system for mobile voice and data communications. More...
  • SEDSAT American technology satellite. One launch, 1998.10.24. The SEDSAT micro-satellite was built by the Huntsville, Alabama chapter of SEDS (the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space). More...
  • Deep Space 1 American asteroid probe. One launch, 1998.10.24. Deep Space 1 (DS1) was a primarily a technology demonstration probe powered by an ion engine, although the spacecraft also flew by asteroid and cometary targets. More...
  • MCO American Mars orbiter. One launch, 1998.12.11, Mars Climate Orbiter. The Mars Climate Orbiter was to have accomplished mapping and weather studies of Mars and served as a relay for data from the Mars Polar Lander. More...
  • Mars Polar Lander American Mars lander. One launch, 1999.01.03. The Mars Polar Lander had the mission of studying Martian volatiles (frozen water and carbon dioxide) and climate history. The Martian polar regions were the best places to conduct these studies. More...
  • Stardust American comet probe. One launch, 1999.02.07. Stardust was scheduled to encounter comet Wild-2 early in 2004 and collect samples of cometary dust and volatiles while flying through the coma at a distance of 100 km on the sunlit side of the nucleus. More...
  • Sunsat South African technology satellite. One launch, 1999.02.23. Sunsat was built by students at Stellenbosch University, South Africa and carried a small imager and a message relay payload. More...
  • ARGOS American ion engine technology satellite. One launch, 1999.02.23. ARGOS was the USAF Space Test Program P91-1 technology satellite by Boeing/Seal Beach. More...
  • Orsted Danish earth magnetosphere satellite. One launch, 1999.02.23. More...
  • Landsat 7 American earth land resources satellite. One launch, 1999.04.15. More...
  • FUSE American ultraviolet astronomy satellite. One launch, 1999.06.24. FUSE carried four 0.35m far ultraviolet telescopes each with an ultraviolet high resolution spectrograph. More...
  • IMAGE American solar satellite. One launch, 2000.03.25. The IMAGE spacecraft imaged remote particle populations in the magnetosphere. More...
  • SA-200 The Spectrum Astro SA-200 satellite bus provided a flexible platform for satellites launched by the Pegasus booster. 4 launches, 2000.07.19 (Mightysat 2.1) to 2009.05.05. More...
  • EO-1 American earth land resources satellite. One launch, 2000.11.21. The Earth Orbiter 1 satellite was part of NASA's New Millennium Program. More...
  • Munin Swedish technology satellite. One launch, 2000.11.21. Small 6 kg Munin nanosatellite was built by Swedish students in collaboration with the Swedish Institute for Space Physics (IRF) and carried a particle detector, a spectrometer, and an auroral camera. More...
  • SAC-C Argentinan earth land resources satellite. One launch, 2000.11.21. The SAC-C Satelite de Aplicaciones Cientificas C was developed by the Argentine space agency CONAE and built by the Argentine company INVAP. More...
  • Mars Odyssey American Mars orbiter. One launch, 2001.04.07, 2001 Mars Odyssey. Mars Odyssey had the primary science mission of mapping the amount and distribution of chemical elements and minerals that make up the Martian surface. More...
  • GeoLITE American military communications satellite. One launch, 2001.05.18, USA 158. GeoLITE was a TRW T-310 class satellite with a mass of about 1800 kg, including a solid apogee motor. More...
  • MAP American infrared astronomy satellite. One launch, 2001.06.30. NASA's Microwave Anisotropy Probe was placed at the L2 Earth-Moon Lagrangian point 1. More...
  • Genesis American solar satellite. One launch, 2001.08.08. Genesis was part of NASA's Discovery program. Its objective was to fly to the Earth-Sun L1 point and spend two years collecting samples of the solar wind. More...
  • QuickBird American civilian surveillance satellite. One launch, 2001.10.18. The QuickBird commercial imaging satellite was owned by DigitalGlobe (formerly EarthWatch) and used a Ball BCP2000 bus with a launch mass of 1028 kg and a dry mass of about 995 kg. More...
  • TIMED American solar satellite. One launch, 2001.12.07. TIMED was the first NASA Solar Terrestrial Probe, operated by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to study the thermosphere, mesosphere and lower ionosphere. More...
  • Jason French earth sea satellite. 2 launches, 2001.12.07 (Jason 1) and 2008.06.20 (Jason 2). Jason was a joint mission between CNES (the French space agency) and NASA/JPL, carrying the same type of sea surface altimeter used on NASA's Topex satellite. More...
  • Aqua American earth sea satellite. One launch, 2002.05.04. Aqua was also designated the EOS-PM Earth Observing System satellite, joining EOS-AM/Terra. The CERES and MODIS instruments aboard Aqua were also carried on the Terra satellite. More...
  • ICESat American earth land resources satellite. One launch, 2003.01.13. More...
  • CHIPSat American ultraviolet astronomy satellite. One launch, 2003.01.13. NASA's Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) mission used the CHIPSat bus. More...
  • XSS American rendezvous technology satellite. 2 launches, 2003.01.29 (XSS-10) and 2005.04.11 (USA 165). More...
  • MER American Mars lander. 2 launches, 2003.06.10 (Spirit (Mars Exploration Rover A, MER-2)) to 2003.07.08 (Opportunity (Mars Exploration Rover B, MER-1)). NASA's rover mission design for the 2003 Mars launch opportunity. More...
  • SIRTF American infrared astronomy satellite. One launch, 2003.08.25. The SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) was planned as a 1 meter class, cryogenically cooled space telescope to be operated as an observatory for infrared astronomy. More...
  • Gravity Probe-B American earth geodetic satellite. One launch, 2004.04.20, Gravity Probe B. Gravity Probe B was an experiment developed by NASA and Stanford University to test two unverified predictions of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. More...
  • Aura American earth atmosphere satellite. One launch, 2004.07.15. Earth Observing System (EOS) Aura was a NASA mission to study the Earth's ozone, air quality and climate. More...
  • Messenger American Mercury probe. One launch, 2004.08.03. NASA probe, launched in 2004 with the challenging mission of comprehensively mapping Mercury from orbit between March 2011 and March 2012. More...
  • Swift American gamma ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 2004.11.20. Swift was a first-of-its-kind multi-wavelength observatory dedicated to the study of gamma-ray burst (GRB) science. More...
  • Deep Impact American comet probe. One launch, 2005.01.12. Studied interior composition of Comet Tempel 1. The flyby spacecraft carried a smaller impactor which it released, allowing it to study the plume from the collision with the comet on 2005.07.04. More...
  • Cloudsat American earth weather satellite. One launch, 2006.04.28. More...
  • Calipso American earth weather satellite. One launch, 2006.04.28. More...
  • Mitex American military anti-satellite system. 3 launched, 2006.06.21 (USA 187) to (USA 189). More...
  • Stereo American solar satellite. 2 launched, 2006.10.26 (Stereo Ahead) and (Stereo Behind). More...
  • USA 193 American military technology satellite. One launch, 2006.12.14, US shoots down failed USA 193 satellite.. Classifed NRO mission of uncertain objectives, possibly military observation with a mixed payload. More...
  • Themis American earth magnetosphere satellite. 5 launched, 2007.02.17. More...
  • RS-300 American technology satellite bus, first launched 2007.03.09. Ball Aerospace's RS-300 was a small, low-cost spacecraft aimed at cost-capped principle investigator led missions for Earth or space science. More...
  • Cosmo-SkyMed Italian military surveillance radar satellite. Constellation of four satellites launched 2007.06.08 - 2010.11.06. More...
  • Phoenix American Mars lander. One launch, 2007.08.04. Mars lander based on surplus hardware from the cancelled Mars Surveyor 2001 and the failed Mars Polar Lander (whence the Phoenix designation). More...
  • WorldView American civilian surveillance satellite. First launch 2007.09.18. DigitalGlobe's WorldView satellite provided highly detailed imagery for precise map creation, change detection and in-depth image analysis. More...
  • Dawn American asteroid probe. One launch, 2007.09.27. Asteroid belt unmanned probe designed to first orbit and survey the asteroid Vesta, and then fly on to the largest asteroid, Ceres. Orbit asteroids Ceres and Vesta. More...
  • GLAST American gamma ray astronomy satellite. One launch, 2008.06.11, Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope. Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope; renamed Fermi GST after launch. More...
Associated Launch Vehicles
  • Thor American liquid propellant intermediate range ballistic missile, developed by Douglas in 1956-1958. 60 deployed to Britain in 1958-1962. The basis for a family of Thor and Delta space launch vehicles, remaining in production into the 2010's. More...
  • Delta American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta launch vehicle was America's longest-lived, most reliable, and lowest-cost space launch vehicle. Delta began as Thor, a crash December 1955 program to produce an intermediate range ballistic missile using existing components, which flew thirteen months after go-ahead. Fifteen months after that, a space launch version flew, using an existing upper stage. The addition of solid rocket boosters allowed the Thor core and Able/Delta upper stages to be stretched. Costs were kept down by using first and second-stage rocket engines surplus to the Apollo program in the 1970's. Continuous introduction of new 'existing' technology over the years resulted in an incredible evolution - the payload into a geosynchronous transfer orbit increasing from 68 kg in 1962 to 3810 kg by 2002. Delta survived innumerable attempts to kill the program and replace it with 'more rationale' alternatives. By 2008 nearly 1,000 boosters had flown over a fifty-year career, and cancellation was again announced. More...
  • Thor DM-18 American orbital launch vehicle. Single stage vehicle adapted from Thor IRBM with no upper stage. More...
  • Thor Able American orbital launch vehicle. Thor with Able stage derived from Vanguard second stage. More...
  • Thor Able I American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Able 1/AJ10-41 + 1 x Altair More...
  • Thor Agena A American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Agena A More...
  • Thor Able II American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Able 2/AJ10-42 More...
  • Thor Able III American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Able 3/AJ10 + 1 x Altair More...
  • Thor Able II M1 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Able 2/AJ10-42 + 1 x Altair More...
  • Thor Able IV American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x AJ10 + 1 x Altair More...
  • Thor Able-Star American orbital launch vehicle. As Thor Able but with enlarged Ablestar second stage with 2 1/2 x greater burn time. More...
  • Thor Delta American orbital launch vehicle. Commercial name for the military's Thor-Delta. The name of the Delta second stage eventually was applied to subsequent commercial follow-ons. More...
  • Thor Agena B American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-21 + 1 x Agena B More...
  • Thor Ablestar 2 American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DSV-2A + 1 x Able-Star/AJ10-104D More...
  • Thor Hydra American orbital launch vehicle. Thor with Hydra liquid oxygen/hydrogen pressure-fed upper stage. Never went beyond initial hardware testing. However such a stage would have vastly increased Thor-Ablestar performance, from 150 kg to over 1000 kg in a medium polar orbit. More...
  • Thor Agena D American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-21 + 1 x Agena D More...
  • Delta A American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-21 + 1 x AJ10-118 + 1 x Altair More...
  • Delta B American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-21 + 1 x AJ10-118A + 1 x Altair More...
  • Thor Delta C American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DSV-2A + 1 x Delta D + 1 x Altair 2 More...
  • Thor DSV-2G American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x AJ10-118 More...
  • Delta D American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor + 1 x Thor DSV-2C + 1 x Delta D + 1 x Altair 2 More...
  • Thor MG-18 American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x MG-18 More...
  • Thor Burner 1 American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x FW4S More...
  • Delta E American orbital launch vehicle. Thor augmented with 3 x Castor 2 motors with Delta E and Altair 2 upper stage. More...
  • Thor Delta C1 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DSV-2A + 1 x Delta D + 1 x FW4D More...
  • Delta E1 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor + 1 x Thor DSV-2C + 1 x Delta E + 1 x FW4D More...
  • Thor Burner 2 American orbital launch vehicle. Two stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Star 37B More...
  • Delta G American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor + 1 x Thor DSV-2C + 1 x Delta E More...
  • Delta J American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor + 1 x Thor DSV-2C + 1 x Delta E + 1 x Star 37D More...
  • Delta N American orbital launch vehicle. Long Tank Thor augmented with 3 Castor 2 boosters and Delta E upper stage. More...
  • Delta M American orbital launch vehicle. Long Tank Thor augmented with 3 Castor 2 boosters and Delta E / Burner 2 (Star 37D) upper stages. More...
  • Thorad Agena D SLV-2H Thor Agena upgraded with Long Tank Thor stage. Variant with straight tank from Delta was Thorad (Long Tank Augmented Thrust Thor Delta) More...
  • Thorad Agena D SLV-2H Thor Agena upgraded with Long Tank Thor stage. Variant with straight tank from Delta was Thorad (Long Tank Augmented Thrust Thor Delta) More...
  • Delta L American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor 2 + 1 x LT Thor DSV-2L-1B + 1 x Delta E + 1 x FW4D More...
  • Delta N6 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 6 x Castor 2 + 1 x LT Thor DSV-2L-1C + 1 x Delta E More...
  • Delta M6 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 6 x Castor 2 + 1 x LT Thor DSV-2L-1C + 1 x Delta E + 1 x Star 37D More...
  • Thor Burner 2A American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Thor DM-18A + 1 x Star 37B + 1 x Star 26B More...
  • Delta 0900 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x LT Thor DSV-2L-1C + 1 x DSV-3N-4 More...
  • Delta 1604 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 6 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta F + 1 x Star 37C More...
  • Delta 0300 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor 2 + 1 x LT Thor DSV-2L-1C + 1 x DSV-3N-4 More...
  • Delta 1914 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37C More...
  • Delta 1913 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37D More...
  • Delta 1900 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta F More...
  • Delta 2313 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37D More...
  • Delta 2914 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37E More...
  • Delta 2310 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 3 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 More...
  • Delta 2910 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 More...
  • Delta 1410 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 4 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 More...
  • Delta 1910 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/MB-3 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 More...
  • Delta 2913 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37D More...
  • N-1 Delta Licensed version of Delta built in Japan using both US and Japanese components. 4 stage vehicle. More...
  • Delta 3914 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37E More...
  • Delta 3910 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 More...
  • Delta 3910/PAM American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P + 1 x Star 48B More...
  • N-2 Licensed version of Delta built in Japan using both US and Japanese components. 4 stage vehicle. More...
  • Delta 3913 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4 + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta P /TR-201 + 1 x Star 37N More...
  • N-2 (2) American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage version consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor N + 1 x AJ10-118FJ More...
  • Delta 2 7000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 7000 series used GEM-40 strap-ons with the Extra Extended Long Tank core, further upgraded with the RS-27A engine. More...
  • Delta 3920 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K More...
  • Delta 3920/PAM American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B More...
  • Delta 3924 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 37E More...
  • Delta 5000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 5000 series used the more powerful Castor 4A strap-ons but with the Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine. Only one was launched. More...
  • Delta 0100 American orbital launch vehicle. The military Thor-Delta vehicles were developed into the first of a series of commercial satellite launch vehicles. The Delta 0100 series featured Castor 2 solid propellant strap-ons and a Long Tank Thor core with MB-3 engine. More...
  • Delta 1000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 1000 series used Castor 2 strap-ons and the Extended Long Tank core with MB-3 engine. More...
  • Delta 4000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 4000 series used more powerful Castor 4A strap-ons, but the old Extended Long Tank core with MB-3 engine. Only two of these were launched. More...
  • Delta 3925 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B More...
  • Delta C American orbital launch vehicle. Unaugmented Thor with Delta D and solid propellant upper stages. More...
  • Thor Burner American orbital launch vehicle. Thor DM-18A with 'Burner' upper stage solid rocket packages used for launch of classified payloads. More...
  • H-1 Japanese license-built version of Delta launch vehicle, with Japanese-developed upper stages. More...
  • H-1 (2) American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage version consisting of 9 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor N + 1 x LE-5 More...
  • H-1 6R American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage version consisting of 6 x Castor 2 + 1 x ELT Thor N + 1 x LE-5 + 1 x UM129A More...
  • Delta 2 6000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 6000 series used the Castor 4A strap-ons with the ultimate Extra Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine. More...
  • Delta 6925 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27+ 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B More...
  • Delta 3920-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K More...
  • Delta 4925-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor /MB-3 + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 5920-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x ELT Thor/RS-27 + 1 x Delta K with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 6920-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27+ 1 x Delta K with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 6925-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27+ 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 6920-X Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x Castor 4A + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27+ 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter fairing More...
  • Delta 7925 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B More...
  • Delta 7925-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7925-10 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter fairing More...
  • Delta 7920-X Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter fairing More...
  • Delta 7920-X Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter fairing More...
  • Delta 7920-XC Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter composite fairing More...
  • Delta 7920-8 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 2.4 m (8 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7925-9.5 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 2.9 m (9.5 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7420-XC Three stage vehicle consisting of 4 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter composite fairing More...
  • Delta 3 American orbital launch vehicle. Delta 3 was an attempt by the manufacturer to provide the ultimate development of the original Delta booster. The core vehicle was beefed-up to accomodate much larger solid rocket boosters and a new cryogenic upper stage. However problems were incurred during development, resulting in the first two launches being failures. Meanwhile the satellite launch market crashed and the new vehicle was left without customers. The venerable Delta 7925 soldiered on for NASA, and the new Delta 4 series captured the USAF EELV requirement. More...
  • Delta 7326-9.5 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 3 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 37FM with 2.9 m (9.5 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7425-9.5 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 4 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 2.9 m (9.5 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7426-9.5 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 4 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 37FM with 2.9 m (9.5 foot) diameter fairing) More...
  • Delta 7320-10 American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 3 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K More...
  • Delta 2000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 2000 series used Castor 2 strap-ons together with an Extended Long Tank core equipped with the more powerful RS-27 engine. This engine was derived from surplus H-1 engines intended for the Saturn IB booster of the Apollo programme. The Delta P upper stage was built by Douglas and used surplus Apollo lunar module engines from TRW. More...
  • Delta 7425-10 American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 4 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter fairing More...
  • Delta 3000 American orbital launch vehicle. The Delta 3000 series upgraded the boosters to Castor 4 solid propellant strap-ons, while retaining the Extended Long Tank core with RS-27 engine. The 3910 series used the TRW Lunar Module engine in the second stage, while the 3920 series reintroduced the Aerojet AJ110 Delta engine. More...
  • Delta 7920-10L American orbital launch vehicle. Three stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-40 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K with 3.05 m (10 foot) diameter long fairing More...
  • Delta 7920H American orbital launch vehicle. Version of Delta 7000 using much larger GEM 46 solid rocket motors originally developed for the Delta 3. More...
  • Delta 7925H American orbital launch vehicle. Four stage vehicle consisting of 9 x GEM-46 + 1 x EELT Thor/RS-27A + 1 x Delta K + 1 x Star 48B More...
Associated Launch Sites
  • Cape Canaveral America's largest launch center, used for all manned launches. Today only six of the 40 launch complexes built here remain in use. Located at or near Cape Canaveral are the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, used by NASA for Saturn V and Space Shuttle launches; Patrick AFB on Cape Canaveral itself, operated the US Department of Defense and handling most other launches; the commercial Spaceport Florida; the air-launched launch vehicle and missile Drop Zone off Mayport, Florida, located at 29.00 N 79.00 W, and an offshore submarine-launched ballistic missile launch area. All of these take advantage of the extensive down-range tracking facilities that once extended from the Cape, through the Caribbean, South Atlantic, and to South Africa and the Indian Ocean. More...
  • Vandenberg Vandenberg Air Force Base is located on the Central Coast of California about 240 km northwest of Los Angeles. It is used for launches of unmanned government and commercial satellites into polar orbit and intercontinental ballistic missile test launches toward the Kwajalein Atoll. More...
  • Johnston Island US military base on this island in the Pacific Ocean. Used for rocket-launched nuclear tests in the 1950's. In the 1960's it was the site for the operational AFP-437 anti-satellite system. The system was retired in 1975. Several sounding rockets were also launched over the years, either in support of nuclear tests or in experiments related to anti-satellite technology. Known to have been used for 124 launches from 1958 to 1975, reaching up to 1158 kilometers altitude. More...
  • Tanegashima Japan's main launch site for he larger N and H launch vehicles. In use for sounding rockets from 1967 and orbital launches from 1975. As of 2007 over 140 major launches had been made from the site. More...

Delta Chronology
1955 December 1 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Missile programs get highest priority. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Eisenhower. Summary: President Eisenhower assigned highest priority to ICBM and Thor and Jupiter IRBM programs..
1956 August 27 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Thor engine first static test. - . Nation: USA. Summary: First static firing of Thor rocket engine at AFFTC, Edwards AFB..
1957 January 26 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 101. FAILURE: Lox contamination, led to a valve failure. Thrust decayed, the booster settled back through the thrust ring, causing an oxygen fire, followed by booster explosion.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Summary: First attempted test flight of USAF Thor IRBM, only 13 months after first production contracts were signed, failed to launch..
1957 April 20 - . 04:33 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 102. FAILURE: Console wiring error resulted in erroneous tracking indication; destroyed by range safety.. Failed Stage: G.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Douglas Thor IRBM (XSM-75) was launched at Cape Canaveral, Fla., destroyed by range safety officer. The missile was actually on course throughout its flight. The console wiring error led the range safety officer to believe it was headed inland rather than out to sea, so he hit the destruct button.
1957 May 22 - . 03:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 103.
  • Research and development Series I (padex) test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1957 August 30 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 104. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1957 September 20 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 105.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Complete USAF Thor IRBM first successfully launched from Cape Canaveral. Dummy Warhead sent to 1800 km range..
1957 October 3 - . 17:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 107. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1957 October 11 - . 16:33 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 108. FAILURE: Turbopump gearbox failure..
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Thor missile launched at Cape Canaveral, the second tested, achieved its designed 1,500-mile range..
1957 October 24 - . 16:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 109.
  • Series I research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Stripped down Thor long-range flight test successful from AMR, impacting 4400 km downrange..
1957 November 27 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Thor and Jupiter IRBM's ordered into production. - . Nation: USA. Summary: Thor and Jupiter IRBM's ordered into production for ultimate deployment by the USAF..
1957 December 7 - . 22:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 112.
  • Research and development Series II test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1957 December 19 - . 20:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 113.
  • Research and development Series II test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: A Thor missile, the eighth tested and the fourth successfully, completed the first fully-guided Thor IRBM flight using an all-inertial guidance system..
1958 January 1 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Thor put into operational service. - . Nation: USA. Summary: Strategic Air Command assigned responsibility for U.S. operational ICBM capability; while the 672nd Strategic Missile Squadron, first to be equipped with USAF Douglas Thor IRBM, was activated..
1958 January 28 - . 20:16 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 114. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Research and development Series II test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Summary: Thor IRBM successfully fired from Cape Canaveral, flew prescribed course, and impacted in preselected area..
1958 February 28 - . 13:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 120. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Research and development Series II test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Summary: Copper heatsink nose cone.
1958 April 19 - . 13:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 121. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Research and development Series II test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1958 April 24 - . 00:10 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able. LV Configuration: Thor Able 116. FAILURE: Thor turbopump gearbox failed T+150 sec.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Able RTV re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Summary: Mouse 'Mia' not recovered..
1958 June 4 - . 21:17 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 115.
  • Research and development Series III test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: USAF Thor flight tested for the first time from a tactical-type launcher at Cape Canaveral..
1958 June 13 - . 15:06 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 122.
  • Research and development Series III test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 July 10 - . 02:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able. LV Configuration: Thor Able 118.
  • Able RTV re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,600 km (900 mi). Summary: Mouse 'Mia II' reached 1600 km altitude, flew 9600 km range, but re-entry vehicle not recovered..
1958 July 13 - . 06:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 123.
  • Research and development Series III test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 July 23 - . 22:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able. LV Configuration: Thor Able 119.
  • Able RTV re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,600 km (900 mi). Summary: Mouse 'Wickie' not recovered; nose cone lost..
1958 July 26 - . 06:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 126. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Research and development Series III test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1958 August 6 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18 117.
  • Research and development Series III test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 August 17 - . 12:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able I. LV Configuration: Thor Able I 127. FAILURE: Thor exploded after 77 sec.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Pioneer (1) - . Payload: Pioneer / Able 1. Mass: 38 kg (83 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: Pioneer. Class: Moon. Type: Lunar probe. Spacecraft: Pioneer 0-1-2. Decay Date: 1958-08-17 . COSPAR: F580817B. Apogee: 16 km (9 mi). Summary: First US lunar attempt. The first US Air Force lunar probe, using a Thor-Able booster. An explosion ripped it apart 77 seconds after launch..
1958 October 11 - . 08:42 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able I. LV Configuration: Thor Able I 130. FAILURE: Third stage produced insufficient thrust. Partial Failure.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • Pioneer 1 - . Payload: Pioneer 1 / Able 2. Mass: 38 kg (83 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Pioneer. Class: Moon. Type: Lunar probe. Spacecraft: Pioneer 0-1-2. Decay Date: 1958-10-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 110 . COSPAR: 1958-Eta-1. Summary: Set distance record; failed to reach moon..
1958 November 5 - . 08:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 138.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 November 8 - . 07:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able I. LV Configuration: Thor Able I 129. FAILURE: Third stage ignition unsuccessful.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • Pioneer 2 - . Payload: Pioneer 2 / Able 3. Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Pioneer. Class: Moon. Type: Lunar probe. Spacecraft: Pioneer 0-1-2. Decay Date: 1958-11-08 . COSPAR: F581108A. Apogee: 1,550 km (960 mi). Summary: Pioneer 2 was launched from the Atlantic Missile Range, using a Thor-Able booster, the Air Force acting as executive agent to NASA. The 86.3-pound instrumented payload, intended as a lunar probe, failed to reach escape velocity..
1958 November 26 - . 09:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 140.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: First operational launch.
1958 December 6 - . 00:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 145.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 December 16 - . 23:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 151.
  • Operational missile test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Two Thor shots, one from Cape Canaveral and one from Vandenberg AFB, were successful. Intermediate range ballistic missile portion of PMR was inaugurated with successful firing of USAF Thor from Vandenberg AFB..
1958 December 17 - . 04:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 146.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1958 December 31 - . 02:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 149. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF.
1959 January 21 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 160. FAILURE: Launch vehicle failure.. Failed Stage: U.
  • Thor Agena test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F590121A. Summary: First flight test of Thor-Agena for KH program..
1959 January 23 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 128. FAILURE: Failure.
  • RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1959 January 30 - . 23:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 154.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 February 28 - . 07:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 131.
  • RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 February 28 - . 21:49 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 163 / Agena A 1022.
  • Discoverer 1 - . Payload: KH-1 prototype / Agena A 1022. Mass: 618 kg (1,362 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-03-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 13 . COSPAR: 1959-Beta-1. Apogee: 968 km (601 mi). Perigee: 163 km (101 mi). Inclination: 89.7000 deg. Period: 96.00 min. Summary: First polar orbiting satellite; KH-1 prototype; did not carry camera or film capsule..
1959 March 21 - . 06:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 132.
  • RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 March 22 - . 00:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 158.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 March 27 - . 04:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 162.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 April 8 - . 06:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 133.
  • RVX-1 Reentry test / particles mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,230 km (760 mi).
1959 April 13 - . 21:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 170 / Agena A 1018.
  • Discoverer 2 - . Payload: KH-1 prototype / Agena A 1022. Mass: 743 kg (1,638 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-04-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 14 . COSPAR: 1959-Gamma-1. Apogee: 346 km (214 mi). Perigee: 239 km (148 mi). Inclination: 89.9000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. KH-1 prototype; tested capsule recovery techniques; did not carry camera; capsule recovery failed. Because of a timing error, the US believed that the capsule landed somewhere on the island of Spitsbergen, north of Norway, instead of landing in the recovery zone near Hawaii. The capsule was never found; and CIA officials suspect it may have been snatched by the Soviets. The search for this capsule formed the basis of the book and film 'Ice Station Zebra'.

    In the winter of 1960/1961, a US Discovery spy satellite capsule was found by loggers near Kalinin, 200 km north of Moscow. The loggers cracked it open with an axe. Sergei Khrushchev believed this to be the Discoverer 2 capsule. What was left was examined by Soviet engineers but didn’t reveal much information - it was a polished aluminium sphere, 30 cm in diameter, gilded on the exterior. Some said it was found as early as the winter of 1959.

1959 April 16 - . 20:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 161.
  • IWST test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Integrated Weapon System Training 1. First Thor IRBM launched by British crew at Vandenberg AFB..
1959 April 23 - . 05:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 176.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: Fourth recovery of a data capsule at AMR, USAF Thor 1,500-mile accuracy test flight..
1959 April 25 - . 05:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 164.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 April 28 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta A.
  • Delta launch vehicle contract. - . Nation: USA. Summary: NASA announced the signing of a $24 million contract with Douglas Aircraft Co., Inc., for a three-stage Thor-Vanguard launching rocket called Delta..
1959 May 12 - . 17:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 187.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 May 21 - . 06:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 135.
  • RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 May 23 - . 02:42 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 184.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 June 3 - . 20:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 174 / Agena A 1020. FAILURE: No telemetry after Agena ignition.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Discoverer 3 - . Payload: KH-1 prototype / Agena A 1018. Mass: 753 kg (1,660 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-06-03 . COSPAR: F590603A. Summary: KH-1 prototype; did not carry camera; film capsule recovery failed..
  • SRV - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F590603B.
1959 June 11 - . 06:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II 137.
  • RVX-1 Re-entry Vehicle test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 June 16 - . 21:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 191. FAILURE: Autopilot error.. Failed Stage: G.
  • IWST test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Summary: Integrated Weapon System Training Launch 2.
1959 June 25 - . 22:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 179 / Agena A 1023. FAILURE: Insufficient stage 2 velocity.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Discoverer 4 - . Payload: KH-1 9001. Mass: 743 kg (1,638 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-06-25 . COSPAR: F590625A. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance. Failed to achieve orbit..
  • SRV 102 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F590625B.
1959 June 26 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 198.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 June 30 - . 02:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 194.
  • Series IV Lofted Trajectory research and development mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
1959 July 21 - . 07:33 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 203. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi).
1959 July 24 - . 12:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 202.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Summary: USAF Thor data capsule recovered near Antigua which contained movie film showing nose cone separation..
1959 August 3 - . 21:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 175.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 August 6 - . 02:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 208.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 August 7 - . 14:24 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able III. LV Configuration: Thor Able III 134.
  • Explorer 6 - . Payload: S-2. Mass: 64 kg (141 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: S-2. Decay Date: 1961-06-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 15 . COSPAR: 1959-Delta-1. Apogee: 42,400 km (26,300 mi). Perigee: 245 km (152 mi). Inclination: 47.0000 deg. Period: 765.00 min. Summary: First Earth photo; radiation data..
1959 August 13 - . 19:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 192 / Agena A 1029.
  • Discoverer 5 - . Payload: KH-1 9002 / Agena A 1029. Mass: 781 kg (1,721 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-09-28 . USAF Sat Cat: 18 . COSPAR: 1959-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 731 km (454 mi). Perigee: 214 km (132 mi). Inclination: 79.9000 deg. Period: 94.10 min. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance; film capsule boosted into higher orbit, decayed 2/11/61. Mission failed. Power supply failure. No recovery..
  • Discoverer 5 Capsule - . Payload: KH-1 9002 Capsule. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1961-02-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 26 . COSPAR: 1959-Epsilon-2. Apogee: 1,700 km (1,000 mi). Perigee: 218 km (135 mi). Inclination: 78.9000 deg. Period: 104.30 min. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance; film capsule boosted into higher orbit, decayed 2/11/61. Mission failed. Power supply failure. No recovery..
1959 August 14 - . 09:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 204.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 August 14 - . 19:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 190. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1959 August 19 - . 19:24 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 200 / Agena A 1028.
  • Discoverer 6 - . Payload: KH-1 9003 / Agena A 1028. Mass: 783 kg (1,726 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-10-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 19 . COSPAR: 1959-Zeta-1. Apogee: 846 km (525 mi). Perigee: 207 km (128 mi). Inclination: 83.9000 deg. Period: 95.10 min. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance; film capsule recovery failed. Mission failed. Retro rockets malfunctioned negating recovery..
1959 August 27 - . 12:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 216.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 September 12 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 217.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 September 17 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II-M1 136. FAILURE: Third stage failed.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • Transit 1A - . Payload: Transit 1A. Mass: 119 kg (262 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1959-09-17 . COSPAR: F590917A. Summary: First Transit test satellite; failed to reach orbit..
1959 September 17 - . 21:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 228.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 September 22 - . 18:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 222.
  • Series IV research and development launch/Ionosphere/Meteorites mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 October 6 - . 16:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 235.
  • Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 October 6 - . 18:26 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 239.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 October 14 - . 04:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 221.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 October 21 - . 22:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 220.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 October 29 - . 02:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 230.
  • Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 November 3 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 238.
  • Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 November 7 - . 20:28 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 206 / Agena A 1051.
  • Discoverer 7 - . Payload: KH-1 9004 / Agena A 1051. Mass: 794 kg (1,750 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1959-11-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 24 . COSPAR: 1959-Kappa-1. Apogee: 820 km (500 mi). Perigee: 158 km (98 mi). Inclination: 81.6000 deg. Period: 94.40 min. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance; satellite tumbled; film capsule not recovered. Mission failed. Failed to achieve orbit..
1959 November 12 - . 19:24 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 181.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 November 19 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 244.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 November 20 - . 19:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 212 / Agena A 1050.
  • Discoverer 8 - . Payload: KH-1 9005 / Agena A 1050. Mass: 795 kg (1,752 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-03-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 25 . COSPAR: 1959-Lambda-1. Apogee: 1,661 km (1,032 mi). Perigee: 186 km (115 mi). Inclination: 80.5000 deg. Period: 103.50 min. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance; film capsule recovery failed. Mission failed. Eccentric orbit negating recovery..
1959 December 1 - . 17:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 254.
  • Series IV research and development launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1959 December 2 - . 05:29 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 265. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1959 December 15 - . 02:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 185. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi).
1959 December 17 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 255.
  • Series IV research and development launch/Meteorites mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 January 14 - . 16:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18C. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18C 256.
  • Special test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 January 21 - . 20:10 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 215.
  • IWST - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 February 4 - . 18:51 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 218 / Agena A 1052. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 9 - . Payload: KH-1 9006. Mass: 765 kg (1,686 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-02-04 . COSPAR: F600204A. Summary: KH-1; 1st generation low resolution photo surveillance. Mission failed..
  • SRV 113 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F600204B.
1960 February 9 - . 17:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18C. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18C 259.
  • Special test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 February 19 - . 20:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 223 / Agena A 1054. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 10 - . Payload: KH-1 9007. Mass: 765 kg (1,686 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-02-19 . COSPAR: F600219A. Summary: KH-1; Mission failed..
  • SRV 110 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F600219B.
1960 February 29 - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC18B. Launch Pad: LC18B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18C. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18C 263.
  • Special test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 March 2 - . 20:06 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 272.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 March 11 - . 13:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able IV. LV Configuration: Thor Able IV 219.
  • Pioneer 5 - . Payload: Pioneer P 2 / Able 6. Mass: 43 kg (94 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Pioneer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: Pioneer 5. USAF Sat Cat: 27 . COSPAR: 1960-Alpha-1. Summary: Solar research. Solar Orbit (Heliocentric). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1960 April 1 - . 11:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able II. LV Configuration: Thor Able II-M1 148.
  • Tiros 1 - . Payload: Tiros A (A-1). Mass: 120 kg (260 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 29 . COSPAR: 1960-Beta-2. Apogee: 696 km (432 mi). Perigee: 656 km (407 mi). Inclination: 48.4000 deg. Period: 98.30 min. Summary: TV and Infrared Observation Satellite; returned 22952 cloud cover photos. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1960 April 13 - . 12:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 257 AB002?.
  • Transit 1B - . Mass: 121 kg (266 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Duration: 89.00 days. Decay Date: 1967-10-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 31 . COSPAR: 1960-Gamma-2. Apogee: 644 km (400 mi). Perigee: 363 km (225 mi). Inclination: 51.2000 deg. Period: 94.60 min. The Able-Star second stage demonstrated the first engine restart in space and the feasibility of using satellites as navigational aids. The first experimental Transit satellite to achieve orbit operated for 89 days. It transmitted on two frequency pairs to test the technique for refraction correction and to determine if the transmitted frequencies should be close together or far apart. It also tested a magnetic torque device for spacecraft attitude control - the first satellite to do so.
  • Dummy subsatellite - . Payload: GRAB dummy. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. Decay Date: 1960-07-17 . USAF Sat Cat: 33 . COSPAR: 1960-Gamma-3. Apogee: 615 km (382 mi). Perigee: 285 km (177 mi). Inclination: 51.3000 deg. Period: 93.60 min.
1960 April 15 - . 20:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 234 / Agena A 1055.
  • Discoverer 11 - . Payload: KH-1 9008 / Agena A 1055. Mass: 790 kg (1,740 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-04-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 32 . COSPAR: 1960-Delta-1. Apogee: 603 km (374 mi). Perigee: 166 km (103 mi). Inclination: 80.4000 deg. Period: 92.20 min. Summary: KH-1; film capsule recovery failed. Mission failed. Attitude control system malfunctioned..
1960 May 13 - . 09:16 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 144/D1. FAILURE: Second stage attitude control failure.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Echo 1 - . Payload: A-10. Mass: 56 kg (123 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Echo. Decay Date: 1960-05-13 . COSPAR: F600513A.
1960 June 22 - . 05:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 281 AB003?.
  • Transit 2A - . Mass: 101 kg (222 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 45 . COSPAR: 1960-Eta-1. Apogee: 988 km (613 mi). Perigee: 604 km (375 mi). Inclination: 66.7000 deg. Period: 100.80 min. Summary: Also returned geodetic data. Similar to Transit 1B, it transmitted until 26 October 1962. A planned Transit 2B was considered redundant and never built..
  • Solrad 1 - . Payload: GRAB 1. Mass: 19 kg (41 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. USAF Sat Cat: 46 . COSPAR: 1960-Eta-2. Apogee: 935 km (580 mi). Perigee: 596 km (370 mi). Inclination: 66.7000 deg. Period: 100.20 min. Summary: Solar radiation data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1960 June 22 - . 23:26 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 233.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 June 29 - . 22:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 160 / Agena A 1053. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 12 - . Payload: KH-1 prototype. Mass: 790 kg (1,740 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-06-29 . COSPAR: F600629A. Summary: KH-1 prototype; designed to test capsule recovery system; did not carry camera..
  • SRV - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-1. COSPAR: F600629B.
1960 August 10 - . 20:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 231 / Agena A 1057.
  • Discoverer 13 - . Payload: KH-1 prototype / Agena A 1057. Mass: 850 kg (1,870 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-11-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 48 . COSPAR: 1960-Theta-1. Apogee: 683 km (424 mi). Perigee: 258 km (160 mi). Inclination: 82.8000 deg. Period: 94.00 min. Summary: KH-1 prototype; designed to test capsule recovery system; did not carry camera; capsule successfully recovered from ocean..
1960 August 12 - . 09:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 270/D2.
  • Echo 1 - . Payload: A-11. Mass: 76 kg (167 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Echo. Decay Date: 1968-05-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 49 . COSPAR: 1960-Iota-1. Apogee: 2,157 km (1,340 mi). Perigee: 966 km (600 mi). Inclination: 47.3000 deg. Period: 117.30 min. Summary: Balloon; passively relayed TV and voice transmissions. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1960 August 18 - . 19:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 237 / Agena A 1056.
  • Discoverer 14 - . Payload: KH-1 9009 / Agena A 1056. Mass: 850 kg (1,870 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-09-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 54 . COSPAR: 1960-Kappa-1. Apogee: 803 km (498 mi). Perigee: 177 km (109 mi). Inclination: 79.6000 deg. Period: 94.40 min. Summary: KH-1; film capsule recovered 1.2 days later; 1st successful photosurveillance mission. First successful mission. Cameras operated satisfactorily..
1960 August 18 - . 19:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 262 AB004?. FAILURE: Exploded 2.5 minutes after launch.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Courier 1A - . Mass: 225 kg (496 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: DARPA. Class: Communications. Type: Military communications satellite. Spacecraft: Courier. Decay Date: 1960-08-18 . COSPAR: F600818A. Summary: Experimental communications sattelite..
1960 September 13 - . 22:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena A. LV Configuration: Thor Agena A 246 / Agena A 1058.
  • Discoverer 15 - . Payload: KH-1 9010 / Agena A 1058. Mass: 863 kg (1,902 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-1. Decay Date: 1960-10-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 57 . COSPAR: 1960-Mu-1. Apogee: 755 km (469 mi). Perigee: 200 km (120 mi). Inclination: 80.9000 deg. Period: 94.10 min. Summary: KH-1; film capsule lost at sea. Mission failed. Attained orbit successfully. Capsule sank prior to retrieval..
1960 October 4 - . 17:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 293 AB005.
  • Courier 1B - . Mass: 230 kg (500 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Courier. USAF Sat Cat: 58 . COSPAR: 1960-Nu-1. Apogee: 1,214 km (754 mi). Perigee: 967 km (600 mi). Inclination: 28.3000 deg. Period: 107.10 min. Summary: Experimental communications. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1960 October 11 - . 21:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 186.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 October 26 - . 20:26 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 253 / Agena B 1061. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 16 - . Payload: KH-2 9011. Mass: 1,091 kg (2,405 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1960-10-26 . COSPAR: F601026A. Summary: KH-1; mission failed..
  • SRV 506 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-2. COSPAR: F601026B.
1960 November 12 - . 20:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 297 / Agena B 1062.
  • Discoverer 17 - . Payload: KH-2 9012 / Agena B 1062. Mass: 1,091 kg (2,405 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1960-12-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 61 . COSPAR: 1960-Omicron-1. Apogee: 984 km (611 mi). Perigee: 190 km (110 mi). Inclination: 81.7000 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 November 23 - . 11:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 245/D3.
  • Tiros 2 - . Payload: Tiros B (A-2). Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 63 . COSPAR: 1960-Pi-1. Apogee: 610 km (370 mi). Perigee: 547 km (339 mi). Inclination: 48.5000 deg. Period: 96.30 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1960 November 30 - . 19:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 283 AB006. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • Transit 3A - . Payload: Transit 3A. Mass: 91 kg (200 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1960-11-30 . COSPAR: F601130A. Summary: Destroyed by range safety; launched with Solrad 2. Thor shut down too early..
  • Solrad 2 - . Payload: GRAB 2. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. COSPAR: F601130B.
1960 December 7 - . 20:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 296 / Agena B 1103.
  • Discoverer 18 - . Payload: KH-2 9013 / Agena B 1103. Mass: 1,240 kg (2,730 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1961-04-02 . USAF Sat Cat: 67 . COSPAR: 1960-Sigma-1. Apogee: 510 km (310 mi). Perigee: 233 km (144 mi). Inclination: 81.5000 deg. Period: 92.00 min. Summary: KH-2; film capsule recovered 3.1 days later. First successful mission employing KH-2 camera system..
1960 December 13 - . 20:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 267.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1960 December 20 - . 20:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 258 / Agena B 1101.
  • Discoverer 19 - . Payload: Midas test payload. Mass: 1,060 kg (2,330 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Early warning satellite. Spacecraft: Midas. Decay Date: 1961-01-23 . USAF Sat Cat: 68 . COSPAR: 1960-Tau-1. Apogee: 359 km (223 mi). Perigee: 186 km (115 mi). Inclination: 83.4000 deg. Period: 90.00 min. Summary: Tested IR sensors for Midas program; did not carry camera or film capsule. .
1961 February 17 - . 20:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 298.
  • Discoverer 20 - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9014A / Agena B 1104. Mass: 1,110 kg (2,440 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1962-07-28 . USAF Sat Cat: 83 . COSPAR: 1961-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 491 km (305 mi). Perigee: 277 km (172 mi). Inclination: 80.8000 deg. Period: 92.30 min. Summary: KH-5; film capsule not ejected. Mission failed. Program malfunctioned and capsule did not reenter. First attempted ARGON mission. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • SRV 520 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1961-10-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 90 . COSPAR: 1961-Epsilon-4. Apogee: 327 km (203 mi). Perigee: 321 km (199 mi). Inclination: 80.7000 deg. Period: 91.00 min.
1961 February 18 - . 22:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 261 / Agena B 1102.
  • Discoverer 21 - . Payload: Midas test payload. Mass: 1,110 kg (2,440 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Early warning satellite. Spacecraft: Midas. Decay Date: 1962-04-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 84 . COSPAR: 1961-Zeta-1. Apogee: 458 km (284 mi). Perigee: 212 km (131 mi). Inclination: 80.6000 deg. Period: 91.30 min. Summary: Tested IR sensors for Midas program; did not carry camera or film capsule..
1961 February 22 - . 03:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 313 AB007.
  • Transit 3B - . Mass: 112 kg (246 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1961-02-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 87 . COSPAR: 1961-Eta-1. Apogee: 225 km (139 mi). Perigee: 135 km (83 mi). Inclination: 28.4000 deg. Period: 88.10 min. Lofti 1 piggyback payload did not separate. Nevertheless Transit 3B returned useful data needed for design of the operational satellites. It carried a digital clock driven by the same oscillator that drove the transmitters. It transmitted timing signals governed by the clock and a 384-bit memory. This allowed testing of the techniques for loading the memory from the ground, the ability of the memory to hold a message in orbit, and the ability to encode the memory contents by means of a frequency modulation on one of the main transmitters. It was also shown that ±60° phase modulation could be used to transmit the contents of the satellite memory without degradation of the accuracy of the Doppler signal and Doppler measurements.
  • Lofti - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: Lofti. COSPAR: 1961-Eta-xx.
  • Lofti 1 - . Mass: 25 kg (55 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1961-03-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 87 . COSPAR: 1961-Eta-2. Apogee: 983 km (610 mi). Perigee: 188 km (116 mi). Inclination: 28.3000 deg. Period: 96.40 min. Summary: Failed to separate from Transit 3B..
1961 March 25 - . 15:17 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 295/D4.
  • Explorer 10 - . Payload: P-14. Mass: 35 kg (77 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: P-14. Decay Date: 1961-06-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 98 . COSPAR: 1961-Kappa-1. Apogee: 181,100 km (112,500 mi). Perigee: 221 km (137 mi). Inclination: 33.0000 deg. Period: 5,013.90 min. Summary: Magnetic field data. Decay date suspect Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1961 March 30 - . 05:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 243.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1961 March 30 - . 20:34 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 300 / Agena B 1105. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 22 - . Payload: KH-2 9015. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1961-03-30 . COSPAR: F610330A. Summary: KH-2; Mission failed..
  • SRV 509 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-2. COSPAR: F610330B.
1961 April 8 - . 19:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 307 / Agena B 1106.
  • Discoverer 23 - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9016A / Agena B 1106 / Capsule SRV 521. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1962-04-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 100 . COSPAR: 1961-Lambda-1. Apogee: 651 km (404 mi). Perigee: 295 km (183 mi). Inclination: 82.3000 deg. Period: 94.10 min. Summary: KH-5; film capsule boosted into higher orbit, decayed 5/23/62. Mission failed. Loss of satellite control gas caused unstable condition. No recovery. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
1961 June 8 - . 21:16 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 302 / Agena B 1108. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 24 - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9018A. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1961-06-08 . COSPAR: F610608A. Summary: KH-5. Mission failed..
  • SRV 541 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-5. COSPAR: F610608B.
1961 June 16 - . 23:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 303 / Agena B 1107.
  • Discoverer 25 - . Payload: KH-2 9017 / Agena B 1107. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1961-07-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 108 . COSPAR: 1961-Xi-1. Apogee: 404 km (251 mi). Perigee: 222 km (137 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-2; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Capsule recovered from water on orbit 32. Streaks throughout film..
1961 June 20 - . 23:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 276.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1961 June 29 - . 04:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 315 AB008.
  • Transit 4A - . Mass: 79 kg (174 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 116 . COSPAR: 1961-Omicron-1. Apogee: 986 km (612 mi). Perigee: 865 km (537 mi). Inclination: 66.8000 deg. Period: 103.50 min. Summary: Transits 4A and 4B were drum-shaped instead of spherical to provide more space for solar cells. In addition, operational 150-and 400-MHz frequencies were used for the first time. Carried SNAP-3A nuclear power source..
  • Injun 1 - . Mass: 25 kg (55 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Injun. USAF Sat Cat: 117 . COSPAR: 1961-Omicron-2. Apogee: 992 km (616 mi). Perigee: 869 km (539 mi). Inclination: 66.8000 deg. Period: 103.60 min. Summary: Dual launch; failed to separate from Solrad 3; still returned radiation data. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Solrad 3 - . Payload: GRAB 3. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. COSPAR: 1961-Omicron-xx.
1961 July 7 - . 23:29 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 308 / Agena B 1109.
  • Discoverer 26 - . Payload: KH-2 9019 / Agena B 1109. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1961-12-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 160 . COSPAR: 1961-Pi-1. Apogee: 803 km (498 mi). Perigee: 228 km (141 mi). Inclination: 82.9000 deg. Period: 94.90 min. Summary: KH-2; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Main camera malfunctioned on pass 22..
1961 July 12 - . 10:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 286/D5.
  • Tiros 3 - . Payload: Tiros C (A-3). Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 162 . COSPAR: 1961-Rho-1. Apogee: 790 km (490 mi). Perigee: 723 km (449 mi). Inclination: 47.9000 deg. Period: 100.00 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1961 July 21 - . 22:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 322 / Agena B 1110. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 27 - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9020A. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1961-07-21 . COSPAR: F610721A. Summary: KH-5; destroyed by range safety. Mission failed..
  • SRV 524 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-5. COSPAR: F610721B.
1961 August 4 - . 00:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 309 / Agena B 1111. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 28 - . Payload: KH-2 9021. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-2. Decay Date: 1961-08-03 . COSPAR: F610804A. Summary: KH-2; Mission failed..
  • SRV 512 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-2. COSPAR: F610804B.
1961 August 16 - . 03:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 312/D6.
  • Explorer 12 - . Payload: EPE A (S-3). Mass: 38 kg (83 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: EPE. Decay Date: 1963-08-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 170 . COSPAR: 1961-Upsilon-1. Apogee: 76,620 km (47,600 mi). Perigee: 790 km (490 mi). Inclination: 33.4000 deg. Period: 1,587.30 min. Summary: Radiation and solar wind data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1961 August 30 - . 20:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 323 / Agena B 1112.
  • Discoverer 29 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9023 / Agena B 1112. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-09-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 181 . COSPAR: 1961-Psi-1. Apogee: 542 km (336 mi). Perigee: 152 km (94 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 91.50 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. First use of KH-3 camera system. All frames out of focus..
1961 September 6 - . 22:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 165.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1961 September 12 - . 19:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 310 / Agena B 1113.
  • Discoverer 30 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9022 / Agena B 1113. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-12-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 182 . COSPAR: 1961-Omega-1. Apogee: 557 km (346 mi). Perigee: 219 km (136 mi). Inclination: 82.5000 deg. Period: 92.30 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovered 2.1 days later. Best mission to date. Same out-of-focus condition as in 9023..
1961 September 17 - . 21:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 324 / Agena B 1114.
  • Discoverer 31 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9024 / Agena B 1114. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-10-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 186 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Beta-1. Apogee: 403 km (250 mi). Perigee: 231 km (143 mi). Inclination: 82.6000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovery failed. Mission failed. Power failure and loss of control gas on orbit 33..
1961 October 13 - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Thor 100th launch. - . Nation: USA. Summary: Discoverer XXXII was placed into polar orbit; its capsule contained components of USAF satellite systems. This marked the 100th successful firing of the Thor booster rocket..
1961 October 13 - . 19:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 328 / Agena B 1115.
  • Discoverer 32 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9025 / Agena B 1115. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-11-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 189 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Gamma-1. Apogee: 391 km (242 mi). Perigee: 233 km (144 mi). Inclination: 81.6000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovered 1.1 days later. Capsule recovered on orbit 18. 96% of film out of focus..
1961 October 23 - . 19:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 329 / Agena B 1116. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 33 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9026. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-10-23 . COSPAR: F611023A. Summary: KH-3; Mission failed..
  • SRV 513 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-3. COSPAR: F611023B.
1961 November 5 - . 20:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 330 / Agena B 1117.
  • Discoverer 34 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9027 / Agena B 1117. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1962-12-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 197 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 859 km (533 mi). Perigee: 231 km (143 mi). Inclination: 82.4000 deg. Period: 95.60 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovery not attempted. Mission failed. Improper launch angle resulted in extreme orbit..
  • SRV 553 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-3. COSPAR: 1961-A-Epsilon-x.
1961 November 15 - . 21:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 326 / Agena B 1118.
  • Discoverer 35 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9028 / Agena B 1118. Mass: 2,100 kg (4,600 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1961-12-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 201 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Zeta-1. Apogee: 278 km (172 mi). Perigee: 238 km (147 mi). Inclination: 81.6000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovered 1.1 days later. All cameras operated satisfactorily. Grainy emulsion noted..
1961 November 15 - . 22:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 305 AB009?.
  • Transit 4B - . Mass: 86 kg (189 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 202 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Eta-1. Apogee: 1,104 km (685 mi). Perigee: 953 km (592 mi). Inclination: 32.4000 deg. Period: 105.70 min. Together, Transits 4A and 4B allowed the determination of harmonics in the Earth’s gravity field that had not yet been evaluated, and they also allowed firm navigational ties to be established from continent to continent as well as to isolated islands. As a result, it was discovered that the position of Hawaii was incorrect by 1 km. Carried SNAP 3 nuclear power source.
  • TRAAC - . Mass: 109 kg (240 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft: TRAAC. USAF Sat Cat: 205 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Eta-2. Apogee: 1,107 km (687 mi). Perigee: 956 km (594 mi). Inclination: 32.4000 deg. Period: 105.80 min. Summary: Transit Research and Attitude Control. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1961 December 6 - . 01:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 214.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1961 December 12 - . 20:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 325 / Agena B 1119.
  • Discoverer 36 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9029 / Agena B 1119. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1962-03-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 213 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Kappa-1. Apogee: 173 km (107 mi). Perigee: 131 km (81 mi). Inclination: 89.5000 deg. Period: 87.50 min. Summary: KH-3; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Best mission to date..
  • Oscar 1 - . Mass: 5.00 kg (11.00 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: Oscar. Class: Communications. Type: Amateur radio communications satellite. Spacecraft: Oscar. Decay Date: 1962-01-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 214 . COSPAR: 1961-A-Kappa-2. Apogee: 474 km (294 mi). Perigee: 245 km (152 mi). Inclination: 81.2000 deg. Period: 91.80 min. The first Oscar Phase I amateur satellite was launched piggyback with Discover 36. A group of enthusiasts in California formed Project OSCAR and persuaded the United States Air Force to replace ballast on the Agena upper stage with the 4.5 kg OSCAR I package. The satellite was box shaped with a single monopole antenna and battery powered. The 140 mW transmitter onboard discharged its batteries after three weeks. 570 Amateurs in 28 countries reported receiving its simple 'HI-HI' morse code signals on the VHF 2 meter band (144.983 MHz) until January 1, 1962. The speed of the HI-HI message was controlled by a temperature sensor inside the spacecraft. OSCAR I re-entered the atmosphere January 31, 1962 after 312 revolutions. Additional Details: here....
1962 January 13 - . 21:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 327 / Agena B 1120. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Discoverer 37 - . Payload: KH-3 s/n 9030. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-3. Decay Date: 1962-01-13 . COSPAR: F620113A. Summary: KH-3. Mission failed. Last attempted flight of KH-3 series..
  • SRV 571 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-3. COSPAR: F620113B.
1962 January 15 - . 11:07 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2D. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2D 337.
  • AVT-1 Satellite test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,400 km (800 mi).
1962 January 24 - . 09:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 311 AB010. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Lofti 2 - . Mass: 99 kg (218 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Lofti 2. Decay Date: 1962-01-24 . COSPAR: F620124A. Summary: Carried 5 satellites..
  • Solrad 4 - . Payload: GRAB 4. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. COSPAR: F620124B.
  • Surcal - . Payload: Surcal. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Surcal. COSPAR: F620124E.
  • Secor - . Payload: Secor. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: SECOR. COSPAR: F620124C.
  • Injun 2 - . Payload: Injun 2. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: Injun. COSPAR: F620124D.
1962 February 8 - . 12:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 317/D7.
  • Tiros 4 - . Payload: Tiros D (A-9). Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 226 . COSPAR: 1962-Beta-1. Apogee: 812 km (504 mi). Perigee: 693 km (430 mi). Inclination: 48.3000 deg. Period: 99.90 min. Summary: Returned 32593 cloud cover photos. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1962 February 21 - . 18:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 332 / Agena B 2301. FAILURE: Partial failure. Agena failed to restart to circularize orbit.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Ferret 1 - . Payload: Ferret 1 / Agena B 2301. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1962-03-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 242 . COSPAR: 1962-Delta-1. Apogee: 219 km (136 mi). Perigee: 169 km (105 mi). Inclination: 81.9000 deg. Period: 88.30 min.
1962 February 27 - . 19:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 241 / Agena B 1123.
  • Discoverer 38 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9031 / Agena B 1123. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-03-21 . USAF Sat Cat: 247 . COSPAR: 1962-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 277 km (172 mi). Perigee: 207 km (128 mi). Inclination: 82.2000 deg. Period: 89.40 min. Summary: First mission of the KH-4 series. Much of film slightly out of focus.. Capsule recovered 4.1 days later..
1962 March 7 - . 16:06 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 301/D8.
  • OSO 1 - . Payload: OSO A (S-16). Mass: 208 kg (458 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: OSO. Decay Date: 1981-10-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 255 . COSPAR: 1962-Zeta-1. Apogee: 553 km (343 mi). Perigee: 522 km (324 mi). Inclination: 32.8000 deg. Period: 95.30 min. Summary: Orbiting Solar Observatory; solar flare observations. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1962 March 19 - . 23:28 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 229.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1962 April 18 - . 00:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 331 / Agena B 1124.
  • Discoverer 39 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9032 / Agena B 1124. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-05-28 . USAF Sat Cat: 276 . COSPAR: 1962-Lambda-1. Apogee: 540 km (330 mi). Perigee: 158 km (98 mi). Inclination: 73.5000 deg. Period: 91.60 min. Summary: KH-4. Best mission to date..
1962 April 26 - . 18:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 320/D9.
  • Ariel 1 - . Payload: UK 1 (S-51). Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: UK. Agency: NASA. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Ariel. Decay Date: 1976-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 285 . COSPAR: 1962-Omicron-1. Apogee: 1,203 km (747 mi). Perigee: 398 km (247 mi). Inclination: 53.8000 deg. Period: 100.80 min. Summary: Ionospheric studies; returned X-ray, ionospheric, cosmic ray data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1962 April 29 - . 00:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 333 / Agena B 1125.
  • KH-4 9033 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9033 / Agena B 1125. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-05-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 290 . COSPAR: 1962-Rho-1. Apogee: 475 km (295 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 73.1000 deg. Period: 91.10 min. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed. Parachute ejector squibs holding parachute container cover failed to fire. No recovery..
1962 May 2 - . 23:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 177.
  • TIGERFISH test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 500 km (310 mi).
1962 May 10 - . 12:07 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 314 AB011. FAILURE: Able-Star failed to ignite.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Anna 1A - . Payload: Anna 1A. Mass: 160 kg (350 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: Anna. Decay Date: 1962-05-10 . COSPAR: F620510A. Summary: USN, USAF, US Army, NASA joint program..
1962 May 15 - . 19:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 334 / Agena B 1126.
  • KH-5 9034A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9034A/Agena B 1126. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1963-11-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 292 . COSPAR: 1962-Sigma-1. Apogee: 550 km (340 mi). Perigee: 283 km (175 mi). Inclination: 82.3000 deg. Period: 93.00 min. Summary: KH-5; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. First successful KH-5 mission. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
1962 May 30 - . 01:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 336 / Agena B 1128.
  • KH-4 9035 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9035 / Agena B 1128. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-06-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 302 . COSPAR: 1962-Phi-1. Apogee: 350 km (210 mi). Perigee: 192 km (119 mi). Inclination: 74.1000 deg. Period: 89.90 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 3.1 days later. Slight corona static on film..
1962 June 2 - . 00:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 335 / Agena B 1127.
  • KH-4 9036 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9036 / Agena B 1127. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-06-28 . USAF Sat Cat: 304 . COSPAR: 1962-Chi-1. Apogee: 401 km (249 mi). Perigee: 211 km (131 mi). Inclination: 74.5000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed. During air catch, chute tore loose. Capsule sank..
  • Oscar 2 - . Mass: 10 kg (22 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: Oscar. Class: Communications. Type: Amateur radio communications satellite. Spacecraft: Oscar. Decay Date: 1962-06-21 . USAF Sat Cat: 305 . COSPAR: 1962-Chi-2. Apogee: 339 km (210 mi). Perigee: 188 km (116 mi). Inclination: 74.2000 deg. Period: 89.80 min. OSCAR II was launched piggyback with a United States Air Force satellite. OSCAR II was very similar to OSCAR I. Differences included (1) changing the surface thermal coatings to achieve a cooler internal spacecraft environment, (2) modifying the sensing system so the satellite temperature could be measured accurately as the batteries decayed, and (3) lowering the transmitter power output to 100 mW to extend the life of the onboard battery. OSCAR II lasted 18 days ceasing operation on June 20, 1962 and re-entered June 21, 1962.
1962 June 4 - . 09:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 199.
  • BLUEGILL Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 500 km (310 mi). Initial attempt to launch a live nuclear weapon using the Thor IRBM from Johnston Atoll. The range safety radar had been unreliable before launch,. Five minutes after launch, after shutdown of the booster, the Johnston missile tracking system failed. Unable to monitor the warhead's flight path, the range safety officer destroyed it 10 minutes later, prior to warhead detonation.
1962 June 8 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Last launch of a Thor IRBM from Vandenberg - . Nation: USA. Summary: Last launch of a Thor IRBM from Vandenberg. (First launch and first missile fired from Vandenberg AFB on 16 December 1958.).
1962 June 18 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 343 / Agena B 2312.
  • Ferret 2 - . Payload: Ferret 2 / Agena B 2312. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1963-10-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 308 . COSPAR: 1962-Omega-2. Apogee: 377 km (234 mi). Perigee: 347 km (215 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 91.80 min.
  • FTV 2312 - . Payload: Ferret 2. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: ELINT. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1963-10-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 308 . COSPAR: 1962-Omega-1. Apogee: 170 km (100 mi). Perigee: 161 km (100 mi). Inclination: 82.2000 deg. Period: 87.80 min.
1962 June 19 - . 00:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg LE-8. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DM-18A. LV Configuration: Thor DM-18A 269.
  • Combat training launch - . Nation: USA. Agency: RAF. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi).
1962 June 19 - . 12:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 321/D10.
  • Tiros 5 - . Payload: Tiros E (A-50). Mass: 129 kg (284 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 309 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Alpha-1. Apogee: 880 km (540 mi). Perigee: 580 km (360 mi). Inclination: 58.1000 deg. Period: 99.40 min. Summary: Returned 58226 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1962 June 20 - . 08:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 193. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 1.
  • STARFISH Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi).
1962 June 23 - . 00:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 339 / Agena B 1129.
  • KH-4 9037 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9037 / Agena B 1129. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-07-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 315 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Beta-1. Apogee: 314 km (195 mi). Perigee: 199 km (123 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 89.60 min. Summary: KH-4. Corona static occurs on some film..
1962 June 28 - . 01:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 340 / Agena D 1151.
  • KH-4 9038 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9038 / Agena D 1151. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-09-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 316 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Gamma-1. Apogee: 698 km (433 mi). Perigee: 205 km (127 mi). Inclination: 76.0000 deg. Period: 93.60 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Severe corona static..
1962 July 9 - . 08:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 195.
  • STARFISH PRIME Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 400 km (240 mi). Successful high-altitude test of a Thor IRBM with a live nuclear warhead. The payload included test instrumentation and a W-49 warhead/Mk-4 re-entry vehicle. The 1.45 megaton bomb exploded at an altitude of 400 km. The explosion was visible 2,600 km away, at Kwajalein Atoll; an artificial aurora lasted seven minutes. The unforeseen and most militarily significant effect was the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) generated by the test. This caused power mains surges in Oahu, knocking out street lights, blowing fuses and circuit breakers, and triggering burglar alarms (and this in the days before microelectronics). The explosion supercharged the Van Allen radiation belts, resulting in several satellites malfunctioning.
1962 July 10 - . 08:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 316/D11.
  • Telstar 1 - . Mass: 77 kg (169 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ATT. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Telstar. USAF Sat Cat: 340 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 5,643 km (3,506 mi). Perigee: 945 km (587 mi). Inclination: 44.8000 deg. Period: 157.80 min. Summary: First commercial comsat; active repeater. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1962 July 18 - . 09:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2D. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2D 338.
  • AVT 2 Satellite test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,484 km (922 mi).
1962 July 21 - . 00:56 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 342 / Agena B 1130.
  • KH-4 9039 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9039 / Agena B 1130. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-08-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 344 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Eta-1. Apogee: 376 km (233 mi). Perigee: 206 km (128 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4. Aborted after 6 photo passes. Heavy corona and radiation fog..
1962 July 26 - . 09:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 180. FAILURE: Thor exploded on liftoff.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • BLUEGILL PRIME Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 0 km ( mi). Second attempt to launch a nuclear weapon using the Thor IRBM. The payload consisted of two re-entry vehicles, one with an instrument pod, the other with the warhead. The missile engine malfunctioned immediately on ignition. Range safety fired the destruct system whille the missile was still on the launch pad. The Johnston Island launch complex was heavily damaged and contaminated with plutonium. Three months of repairs and decontamination were necessary before tests could resume.
1962 July 28 - . 00:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 347 / Agena B 1131.
  • KH-4 9040 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9040 / Agena B 1131. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-08-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 345 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Theta-1. Apogee: 403 km (250 mi). Perigee: 204 km (126 mi). Inclination: 71.0000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. No filters on slave horizon cameras. Heavy corona and radiation fog..
1962 August 2 - . 00:17 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 344 / Agena D 1152.
  • KH-4 9041 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9041 / Agena D 1152. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-08-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 360 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Kappa-1. Apogee: 423 km (262 mi). Perigee: 212 km (131 mi). Inclination: 83.0000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Severe corona and radiation fog..
1962 August 29 - . 01:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 349 / Agena D 1153.
  • KH-4 9044 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9044 / Agena D 1153. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-09-10 . USAF Sat Cat: 377 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Sigma-1. Apogee: 400 km (240 mi). Perigee: 187 km (116 mi). Inclination: 65.2000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Erratic vehicle attitude. Radiation fog minimal..
1962 September 1 - . 20:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 348 / Agena B 1132.
  • KH-5 9042A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9042A/Agena B 1132. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1964-10-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 385 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Upsilon-1. Apogee: 639 km (397 mi). Perigee: 293 km (182 mi). Inclination: 82.8000 deg. Period: 94.00 min. Summary: KH-5. Mission failed. Parachute shrouds parted during air catch, capsule sank. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • SRV 600 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-5. COSPAR: 1962-A-Upsilon-x.
1962 September 17 - . 23:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 350 / Agena B 1133.
  • KH-4 9043 / TRS 1 (ERS 2) - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9043 / TRS 1 (ERS 2) / Agena B 1133. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-11-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 396 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Chi-1. Apogee: 668 km (415 mi). Perigee: 204 km (126 mi). Inclination: 81.8000 deg. Period: 93.30 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 1.1 days later; ERS-2 subsatellite failed to deploy. Capping shutter malfunction, slight corona and radiation fog..
  • TRS - . Payload: ERS 2. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: ERS. COSPAR: 1962-A-Chi-xx.
1962 September 18 - . 08:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta. LV Configuration: Thor Delta 318/D12.
  • Tiros 6 - . Payload: Tiros F2 (A-51). Mass: 127 kg (279 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 397 . COSPAR: 1962-A-Psi-1. Apogee: 654 km (406 mi). Perigee: 631 km (392 mi). Inclination: 58.3000 deg. Period: 97.60 min. Summary: Returned 66674 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1962 September 29 - . 06:05 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 341 (TA1).
  • Alouette 1 - . Payload: Alouette 1 / TAVE. Mass: 145 kg (319 lb). Nation: Canada. Agency: Clemson. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Alouette. USAF Sat Cat: 424 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Alpha-1. Apogee: 1,022 km (635 mi). Perigee: 987 km (613 mi). Inclination: 80.5000 deg. Period: 105.20 min. Summary: Ionospheric research. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
  • TAVE - . Payload: TAVE. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Spacecraft: TAVE. USAF Sat Cat: 426 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Alpha-2. Apogee: 1,019 km (633 mi). Perigee: 993 km (617 mi). Inclination: 80.5000 deg. Period: 105.20 min. Summary: Thor Agena Vibration Experiment.
1962 September 29 - . 23:34 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 351 / Agena D 1154.
  • KH-4 9045 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9045 / Agena D 1154. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-10-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 427 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Beta-1. Apogee: 388 km (241 mi). Perigee: 190 km (110 mi). Inclination: 65.4000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4. First use of stellar camera, erratic vehicle attitude, numerous light leaks..
1962 October 2 - . 22:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta A. LV Configuration: Thor Delta A 345/D13.
  • Explorer 14 - . Payload: EPE B (S-3A). Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: EPE. Decay Date: 1964-12-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 432 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Gamma-1. Apogee: 96,229 km (59,793 mi). Perigee: 2,558 km (1,589 mi). Inclination: 42.3000 deg. Period: 2,184.60 min. Summary: Magnetosphere studies. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1962 October 9 - . 18:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 352 / Agena B 1134.
  • KH-5 9046A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9046A/Agena B 1134. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1962-10-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 436 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Epsilon-1. Apogee: 427 km (265 mi). Perigee: 213 km (132 mi). Inclination: 82.0000 deg. Period: 91.00 min. Summary: KH-5; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. 50% of stellar terrain film was blank due to shutter malfunction. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • SRV 603 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-5. COSPAR: 1962-B-Epsilon-x.
1962 October 16 - . 09:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 156. FAILURE: At 86 seconds after launch a booster failure occurred and the missile began tumbling.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • BLUEGILL DOUBLE PRIME Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi). The third attempt to launch a nuclear warhead using a Thor IRBM. At 86 seconds after launch a booster failure occurred and the missile began tumbling. Range safety destroyed the errant booster at 156 seconds after launch. Some radioactive fallout from the warhead was detected on Johnston Atoll.
1962 October 26 - . 09:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 141.
  • BLUEGILL TRIPLE PRIME Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 500 km (310 mi). On the fourth attempt, a Thor IRBM was used to launch a Mk 4 Re-entry Vehicle containing a 186 kg W-50 nuclear warhead of either 200 or 400 kilotons yield. The detonation occurred at an altitude of 50 km, 31 km SSW of Johnston Atoll. A fireball formed, the colourful afterglow continuing for 30 minutes of the explosion. At this altitude the extensive disruption of the ionosphere seen in later explosions did not occur.
1962 October 26 - . 16:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 353 / Agena D 1401.
  • Starfish Radiation 1 - . Payload: Star-Rad 1 / Agena D 1401. Mass: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Starfish. Decay Date: 1967-10-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 444 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Kappa-1. Apogee: 5,458 km (3,391 mi). Perigee: 197 km (122 mi). Inclination: 71.4000 deg. Period: 146.50 min. Summary: Artificial radiation data..
1962 October 27 - . 23:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta A. LV Configuration: Thor Delta A 346/D14.
  • Explorer 15 - . Payload: EPE C (S-3C SERB). Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: EPE. Decay Date: 1978-12-19 . USAF Sat Cat: 445 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Lambda-1. Apogee: 17,610 km (10,940 mi). Perigee: 306 km (190 mi). Inclination: 17.9000 deg. Period: 314.70 min. Summary: Radiation decay data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1962 October 31 - . 08:03 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar 319 AB012.
  • Anna 1B - . Mass: 161 kg (354 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: Anna. USAF Sat Cat: 446 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Mu-1. Apogee: 1,181 km (733 mi). Perigee: 1,075 km (667 mi). Inclination: 50.1000 deg. Period: 107.90 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1962 November 1 - . 11:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2E. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2E 226.
  • KINGFISH Nuclear test - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 500 km (310 mi). A Thor IRBM was used to launch a Mk 4 Reentry Vehicle containing a 186 kg W-50 nuclear warhead of either 200 or 400 kilotons yield. The detonation occurred at an altitude of 98 km, 69 km SSW of Johnston Atoll, and resulted in dramatic aurora-like effects visible as far away as Hawaii. More notably, the explosion had a massive effect on the ionosphere which disrupted radio communications over the entire central Pacific for three hours.
1962 November 5 - . 22:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 356 / Agena B 1136.
  • KH-4 9047 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9047 / Agena B 1136. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-12-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 453 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Omicron-1. Apogee: 403 km (250 mi). Perigee: 208 km (129 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Camera door malfunctioned, flare degraded 15% of film..
  • SRV 599 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4. COSPAR: 1962-B-Omicron-x.
1962 November 24 - . 22:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 367 / Agena B 1135.
  • KH-4 9048 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9048 / Agena B 1135. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-12-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 481 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Rho-1. Apogee: 339 km (210 mi). Perigee: 206 km (128 mi). Inclination: 65.0000 deg. Period: 89.90 min. Summary: KH-4. Some film exposed through base..
1962 December 4 - . 21:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 361 / Agena D 1155.
  • KH-4 9049 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9049 / Agena D 1155. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1962-12-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 490 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Sigma-1. Apogee: 273 km (169 mi). Perigee: 194 km (120 mi). Inclination: 65.1000 deg. Period: 89.20 min. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed. During air catch chute tore, capsule sank..
1962 December 13 - . 04:07 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 365 / Agena D 2351.
  • Black Sphere - . Payload: NRL PL120. Mass: 23 kg (50 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; USN. Program: ELINT. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: NRL ELINT. Decay Date: 1967-02-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 502 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Tau-1. Apogee: 2,385 km (1,481 mi). Perigee: 230 km (140 mi). Inclination: 70.3000 deg. Period: 111.80 min. Summary: Identified by McDowell as probable NRL ELINT satellite..
  • SURCAL 2A - . Payload: NRL PL121. Mass: 3.00 kg (6.60 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. Decay Date: 1963-07-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 507 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Tau-3. Apogee: 2,762 km (1,716 mi). Perigee: 222 km (137 mi). Inclination: 70.2000 deg. Period: 115.80 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • SURCAL 1A - . Mass: 37 kg (81 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. Decay Date: 1966-01-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 508 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Tau-4. Apogee: 2,160 km (1,340 mi). Perigee: 227 km (141 mi). Inclination: 70.3000 deg. Period: 109.30 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Calsphere 1A - . Payload: NRL ELINT. Mass: 23 kg (50 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; USN. Program: ELINT. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: NRL ELINT. Decay Date: 1967-02-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 513 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Tau-5. Apogee: 2,069 km (1,285 mi). Perigee: 228 km (141 mi). Inclination: 70.3000 deg. Period: 108.40 min. Summary: Identified by McDowell as probable NRL ELINT satellite..
  • Injun 3 - . Mass: 52 kg (114 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; USN. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Injun. Decay Date: 1968-08-25 . USAF Sat Cat: 504 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Tau-2. Apogee: 2,406 km (1,495 mi). Perigee: 240 km (140 mi). Inclination: 70.3000 deg. Period: 112.10 min. Summary: Radiation decay data. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1962 December 13 - . 23:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 355/D15.
  • Relay 1 - . Payload: NASA A-15. Mass: 78 kg (171 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Relay. USAF Sat Cat: 503 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Upsilon-1. Apogee: 7,440 km (4,620 mi). Perigee: 1,319 km (819 mi). Inclination: 47.5000 deg. Period: 185.10 min. Summary: Communications satellite technology tests. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1962 December 14 - . 21:26 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 368 / Agena D 1156.
  • KH-4 9050 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9050 / Agena D 1156. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-01-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 505 . COSPAR: 1962-B-Phi-1. Apogee: 386 km (239 mi). Perigee: 200 km (120 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 4.1 days later. Best mission to date..
1963 January 7 - . 21:09 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 369 / Agena D 1157.
  • KH-4 9051 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9051 / Agena D 1157. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-01-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 525 . COSPAR: 1963-002A. Apogee: 384 km (238 mi). Perigee: 202 km (125 mi). Inclination: 82.0000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4. Erratic vehicle attitude. Frame ephemeris not created..
1963 January 16 - . 21:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B. LV Configuration: Thor Agena B 363 / Agena B 2313.
  • OPS 0180 - . Payload: Ferret 3 / Agena B 2313. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-01-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 527 . COSPAR: 1963-003A. Apogee: 522 km (324 mi). Perigee: 461 km (286 mi). Inclination: 81.9000 deg. Period: 94.40 min.
1963 February 14 - . 05:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 358/D16.
  • Syncom I; Syncom 1 - . Payload: Syncom 1. Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Syncom. Completed Operations Date: 1963-02-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 553 . COSPAR: 1963-004A. Apogee: 36,739 km (22,828 mi). Perigee: 34,392 km (21,370 mi). Inclination: 33.3000 deg. Period: 1,425.50 min. Experimental commsat; lost contact following orbital injection. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Four score. Last known longitude (10 March 1987) 172.58 deg E drifting at 2.429 deg E per day.
1963 February 28 - . 21:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 354 / Agena D 1159 (No solids). FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • KH-4 9052 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9052. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-02-28 . COSPAR: F630228A. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed..
  • SRV 610 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4. COSPAR: F630228B.
1963 March 18 - . 21:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 360 / Agena D 1164 (No solids). FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • KH-6 8001 - . Payload: KH-6 s/n 8001. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-6. Decay Date: 1963-03-18 . COSPAR: F630318A. Summary: First launch of KH-6. Mission failed..
  • P-11 - . Payload: P-11. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: P 11. COSPAR: F630318C.
  • P-11 No. 1 - . Payload: P-11 No. 1. Mass: 80 kg (176 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. Decay Date: 1963-03-18 . COSPAR: F630318B. Summary: Ferret subsatellite aboard first launch of KH-6. Mission failed..
1963 April 1 - . 23:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 376 / Agena D 1160.
  • KH-4 9053 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9053 / Agena D 1160. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-04-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 562 . COSPAR: 1963-007A. Apogee: 408 km (253 mi). Perigee: 198 km (123 mi). Inclination: 74.9000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: KH-4; film capsule recovered 3.1 days later. Best imagery to date..
1963 April 3 - . 02:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 357/D17.
  • Explorer 17 - . Payload: AE A (S-6). Mass: 185 kg (407 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Atmosphere satellite. Spacecraft: AE. Decay Date: 1966-11-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 564 . COSPAR: 1963-009A. Apogee: 891 km (553 mi). Perigee: 254 km (157 mi). Inclination: 57.6000 deg. Period: 96.10 min. Summary: Atmospheric research. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1963 April 26 - . 20:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 372 / Agena D 1411. FAILURE: Attitude sensors were misaligned. No orbit.. Failed Stage: G.
  • KH-5 9055A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9055A. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1963-04-26 . COSPAR: F630426AA. Summary: Mission failed..
1963 May 7 - . 11:38 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 366/D18.
  • Telstar 2 - . Mass: 79 kg (174 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ATT. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Telstar. USAF Sat Cat: 573 . COSPAR: 1963-013A. Apogee: 10,802 km (6,712 mi). Perigee: 972 km (603 mi). Inclination: 42.7000 deg. Period: 225.30 min. Summary: Active repeater. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1963 May 18 - . 22:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 364 / Agena D 1165.
  • KH-6 8002 - . Payload: KH-6 s/n 8002 / Agena D 1165. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-6. Decay Date: 1963-05-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 578 . COSPAR: 1963-016A. Apogee: 506 km (314 mi). Perigee: 147 km (91 mi). Inclination: 74.5000 deg. Period: 91.00 min. Summary: KH-6. Second launch of KH-6. Operation was successful but no film was used. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
1963 June 12 - . 23:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 362 / Agena D 1161.
  • KH-4 9054 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9054 / Agena D 1161. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-07-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 590 . COSPAR: 1963-019A. Apogee: 416 km (258 mi). Perigee: 193 km (119 mi). Inclination: 81.8000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: KH-4. Some imagery seriously affected by corona..
1963 June 15 - . 14:29 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 378 / Agena D 2353.
  • Lofti 2A - . Mass: 26 kg (57 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Lofti. Decay Date: 1963-07-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 601 . COSPAR: 1963-021B. Apogee: 876 km (544 mi). Perigee: 170 km (100 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 95.10 min. Summary: VLF experiments. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Solrad 6A - . Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. Decay Date: 1963-08-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 599 . COSPAR: 1963-021C. Apogee: 869 km (539 mi). Perigee: 170 km (100 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 95.10 min. Summary: Solar radiation data. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • RADOSE 112 - . Payload: NRL PL 112. Mass: 25 kg (55 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: RADOSE. Decay Date: 1963-07-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 600 . COSPAR: 1963-021D. Apogee: 875 km (543 mi). Perigee: 170 km (100 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 95.10 min. Summary: Radiation dosimeter measurements. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • USN satellite - . Payload: NRL PL130?. Mass: 35 kg (77 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: ELINT. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: NRL ELINT. Decay Date: 1963-07-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 598 . COSPAR: 1963-021E. Apogee: 859 km (533 mi). Perigee: 170 km (100 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 94.90 min. Summary: Identified by McDowell as probable NRL ELINT satellite..
  • SURCAL 1B - . Mass: 3.00 kg (6.60 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. Decay Date: 1963-07-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 597 . COSPAR: 1963-021F. Apogee: 802 km (498 mi). Perigee: 172 km (106 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 94.40 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1963 June 19 - . 09:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 359/D19.
  • Tiros 7 - . Payload: Tiros G (A-52). Mass: 135 kg (297 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. Decay Date: 1994-06-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 604 . COSPAR: 1963-024A. Apogee: 349 km (216 mi). Perigee: 338 km (210 mi). Inclination: 58.2000 deg. Period: 91.40 min. Summary: Returned over 150000 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1963 June 27 - . 00:37 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 381 / Agena D 1166.
  • KH-4 9056 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9056 / Agena D 1166. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-07-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 609 . COSPAR: 1963-025A. Apogee: 338 km (210 mi). Perigee: 199 km (123 mi). Inclination: 81.6000 deg. Period: 89.90 min. Summary: KH-4. Experimental camera carried. Film affected by light leaks..
  • Hitch Hiker 1 - . Payload: P-11 No. 2. Mass: 80 kg (176 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. USAF Sat Cat: 614 . COSPAR: 1963-025B. Apogee: 2,506 km (1,557 mi). Perigee: 323 km (200 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 114.10 min. Summary: Radiation data. First successful flight of P-11 bus, mainly used for radar signals intelligence gathering..
1963 June 29 - . 22:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B SLV-2A/B. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena B 380 / Agena B 2314.
  • OPS 1440 - . Payload: Ferret 4 / Agena B 2314. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; CIA. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-10-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 613 . COSPAR: 1963-027A. Apogee: 530 km (320 mi). Perigee: 487 km (302 mi). Inclination: 82.3000 deg. Period: 94.80 min.
1963 July 19 - . 00:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D. LV Configuration: Thor Agena D 388 / Agena D 1412.
  • KH-4 9057 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9057 / Agena D 1412. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-08-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 621 . COSPAR: 1963-029A. Apogee: 382 km (237 mi). Perigee: 197 km (122 mi). Inclination: 82.9000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Summary: KH-4. Best mission to date..
1963 July 26 - . 14:33 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 370/D20.
  • Syncom 2 - . Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Syncom. Completed Operations Date: 1969-04-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 634 . COSPAR: 1963-031A. Apogee: 35,891 km (22,301 mi). Perigee: 35,891 km (22,301 mi). Inclination: 32.7000 deg. Period: 1,441.50 min. Experimental commsat; 1st geosynchronous satellite. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 55 deg W in 1963; 26 deg W in 1965. Last known longitude (19 July 1995) 68.47 deg E drifting at 0.089 deg W per day.
1963 July 31 - . 00:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 382 / Agena D 1167.
  • KH 4A-07 - . Payload: KH-6 s/n 8003 / Agena D 1167. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-6. Decay Date: 1963-08-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 626 . COSPAR: 1963-032A. Apogee: 455 km (282 mi). Perigee: 152 km (94 mi). Inclination: 74.9000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-6. Third and final KH-6 mission (LANYARD). Mission was successful but image quality was poor. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
1963 August 25 - . 00:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 377 / Agena D 1162.
  • KH-4A 1001 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1001 / Agena D 1162. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1963-09-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 636 . COSPAR: 1963-034A. Apogee: 320 km (190 mi). Perigee: 161 km (100 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 89.40 min. Summary: KH-4A. First mission of KH-4A. Some film was fogged. Two buckets but 1001-2 was never recovered..
1963 August 29 - . 20:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 394 / Agena D 1169.
  • KH-4 9033 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9033 & Lampo / Agena D 1169. Mass: 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-11-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 637 . COSPAR: 1963-035A. Apogee: 324 km (201 mi). Perigee: 292 km (181 mi). Inclination: 81.9000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-5; deployed ELINT subsatellite. Considered to be best mission to date in Argon program..
  • LAMPO - . Payload: 0.1 Square Meter Target. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: LAMPO. Decay Date: 1963-09-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 638 . COSPAR: 1963-035B. Apogee: 422 km (262 mi). Perigee: 315 km (195 mi). Inclination: 81.9000 deg. Period: 92.00 min. Summary: Radar monitoring. Not identified as a subsatellite ferret by McDowell..
1963 September 18 - . 09:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2F. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2F 232.
  • ASSET 1 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 56 km (34 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test materials for the X-20 Dynasoar. Aero-thermodynamic structural test vehicle (ASV) for heat shield tests. Booster flew to peak altitude of 62 km, then pitched down, driving the spacecraft to separation at 59 km and 4,906 m/s. The spacecraft was sited under its parachute in the recovery zone at Ascension Island, but the flotation bag broke and it sank into the Atlantic.
1963 September 23 - . 23:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 383 / Agena D 1163.
  • KH-4A 1002 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1002 / Agena D 1163. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1963-10-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 668 . COSPAR: 1963-037A. Apogee: 442 km (274 mi). Perigee: 162 km (100 mi). Inclination: 74.8000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. Severe light leaks, 1002-2 never recovered, indefinite postponement of KH-4A series..
1963 September 28 - . 20:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 375 AB013.
  • Transit 5BN-1 - . Mass: 70 kg (154 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 670 . COSPAR: 1963-038B. Apogee: 1,125 km (699 mi). Perigee: 1,066 km (662 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 107.20 min. First test of nuclear-powered Transit operational prototype. Carried SNAP-9A nuclear power source. The satellite achieved gravity-gradient stabilization, but upside down, making the signal level too low for operational users with low-gain antennas. However, geodetic and navigational evaluation data were obtained.
  • Transit 5E-1 - . Payload: APL SN 39. Mass: 61 kg (134 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 671 . COSPAR: 1963-038C. Apogee: 1,123 km (697 mi). Perigee: 1,065 km (661 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 107.10 min. The missions of Satellite 1963-038C were to measure omnidirectional flux of protons and electrons at various energy levels, radiation effects on transistors, and the effectiveness of thermal coatings. The satellite was launched together with a classified Department of Defense spacecraft on September 28, 1963. Its planned orbit was apogee 1120 kilometres, perigee 1070 kilometres, inclination 88.9 degrees. The satellite weighed 62 kg; its body was in the shape of an 0.46 m x 0.25 m octagonal prism. It was powered by four solar blades and transmited on 136, 162, and 324 mcs. The spacecraft was built for the Bureau of Naval Weapons. In 1967 it was still sending usable data from all systems.
1963 October 29 - . 21:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 386 / Agena D 1601.
  • KH-5 9059A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9059A/Agena D 1601. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1964-01-21 . USAF Sat Cat: 681 . COSPAR: 1963-042A. Apogee: 318 km (197 mi). Perigee: 283 km (175 mi). Inclination: 89.9000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-5; deployed ELINT subsatellite. Fourth film payload retrieved in ARGON program. Film comparable to that of 9058A. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • Hitch Hiker 2 - . Payload: P-11 s/n A3. Mass: 80 kg (176 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. Decay Date: 1965-05-23 . USAF Sat Cat: 682 . COSPAR: 1963-042B. Apogee: 581 km (361 mi). Perigee: 288 km (178 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 93.30 min. Summary: Radar monitoring..
1963 November 9 - . 20:27 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 400 / Agena D 1171. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • KH-4 9060 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9060. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-11-09 . COSPAR: F631109A. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed..
  • SRV 632 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4. COSPAR: F631109B.
1963 November 27 - . 02:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 387/D21.
  • Explorer 18 - . Payload: IMP A. Mass: 62 kg (136 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. Decay Date: 1965-11-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 693 . COSPAR: 1963-046A. Apogee: 197,616 km (122,792 mi). Perigee: 192 km (119 mi). Inclination: 33.3000 deg. Period: 5,666.20 min. Summary: Radiation data; Interplanetary Monitoring Program. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1963 November 27 - . 21:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 406 / Agena D 1172.
  • KH-4 9061 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9061 / Agena D 1172. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1963-12-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 695 . COSPAR: 1963-048A. Apogee: 368 km (228 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 69.6000 deg. Period: 90.00 min. Summary: KH-4. Mission failed. Return capsule separated from satellite but remained in orbit..
1963 December 5 - . 21:51 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 385 AB015.
  • Transit 5BN-2 - . Mass: 75 kg (165 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 704 . COSPAR: 1963-049B. Apogee: 1,110 km (680 mi). Perigee: 1,061 km (659 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 107.00 min. Transit operational prototype powered by a SNAP-9A nuclear power source. First operational navigation satellite. It was used regularly by both surface and submarine units of the Navy until November 1964. From this point in time the US Navy had continuous use of satellite navigation.
  • Transit 5E-3 - . Mass: 53 kg (116 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 705 . COSPAR: 1963-049C. Apogee: 1,108 km (688 mi). Perigee: 1,060 km (650 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 106.90 min. Summary: Radiation monitoring..
1963 December 21 - . 09:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 371/D22.
  • Tiros 8 - . Payload: Tiros H (A-53). Mass: 119 kg (262 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 716 . COSPAR: 1963-054A. Apogee: 705 km (438 mi). Perigee: 667 km (414 mi). Inclination: 58.5000 deg. Period: 98.50 min. Summary: Returned more than 100,000 cloud cover images. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1963 December 21 - . 21:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 398 / Agena D 1168.
  • KH-4 9062 - . Payload: KH-4 s/n 9062 / Agena D 1168. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1964-01-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 718 . COSPAR: 1963-055A. Apogee: 337 km (209 mi). Perigee: 178 km (110 mi). Inclination: 64.8000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-4; deployed ELINT subsatellite. Corona static fogged much of film..
  • Hitch Hiker 3 - . Payload: P-11 s/n A4. Mass: 80 kg (176 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. Decay Date: 1964-11-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 719 . COSPAR: 1963-055B. Apogee: 394 km (244 mi). Perigee: 316 km (196 mi). Inclination: 64.5000 deg. Period: 91.70 min. Summary: Radar monitoring..
  • P-11 motor - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4. Decay Date: 1964-01-08 . COSPAR: 1963-055xx.
1964 January 11 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 390 / Agena D 2354.
  • Agena D 2354 - . Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: ELINT. Spacecraft: Ferret. USAF Sat Cat: 727 . COSPAR: 1964-001A. Apogee: 937 km (582 mi). Perigee: 906 km (562 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.50 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • GGSE 1 - . Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Technology. Type: Gravity gradient technology satellite. Spacecraft: GGSE. USAF Sat Cat: 728 . COSPAR: 1964-001B. Apogee: 916 km (569 mi). Perigee: 899 km (558 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Gravity gradient stabilization tests. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • SECOR 1 - . Payload: EGRS 1. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: SECOR. USAF Sat Cat: 729 . COSPAR: 1964-001C. Apogee: 922 km (572 mi). Perigee: 904 km (561 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.30 min. Summary: Located Pacific islands. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Solrad 7A; NRL Solar Rad - . Payload: GRAB 5. Mass: 45 kg (99 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. USAF Sat Cat: 730 . COSPAR: 1964-001D. Apogee: 920 km (570 mi). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Solar radiation data. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Unidentified - . Payload: NRL PL135. Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Program: ELINT. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: NRL ELINT. USAF Sat Cat: 731 . COSPAR: 1964-001E. Apogee: 919 km (571 mi). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Identified by McDowell as probable NRL ELINT satellite..
1964 January 19 - . 10:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 384 / Agena D 2303.
  • OPS 3367A - . Payload: DAPP / OPS 3367 A. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Technology. Type: Military technology satellite. Spacecraft: AFP-43. USAF Sat Cat: 734 . COSPAR: 1964-002B. Apogee: 810 km (500 mi). Perigee: 789 km (490 mi). Inclination: 99.0000 deg. Period: 100.90 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • OPS 3367B - . Payload: DAPP / OPS 3367 B. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Technology. Type: Military technology satellite. Spacecraft: AFP-43. USAF Sat Cat: 735 . COSPAR: 1964-002C. Apogee: 815 km (506 mi). Perigee: 791 km (491 mi). Inclination: 99.0000 deg. Period: 100.90 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1964 January 21 - . 21:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 373/D23.
  • Relay 2 - . Payload: Relay B. Mass: 78 kg (171 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Relay. USAF Sat Cat: 737 . COSPAR: 1964-003A. Apogee: 7,540 km (4,680 mi). Perigee: 1,961 km (1,218 mi). Inclination: 46.4000 deg. Period: 194.70 min. Summary: Experimental commsat. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1964 January 25 - . 13:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena B 397 (TA2) / Agena B 6301.
  • Echo 2 - . Payload: Echo C A-12. Mass: 256 kg (564 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Langley. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Echo 2. Decay Date: 1969-06-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 740 . COSPAR: 1964-004A. Apogee: 1,315 km (817 mi). Perigee: 1,030 km (640 mi). Inclination: 81.5000 deg. Period: 108.80 min. Summary: Passive commsat; balloon; 1st joint US/USSR space mission. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). .
1964 February 14 - . 07:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 299 (20002).
  • AFP-437 demonstration interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF; DACO. Apogee: 1,000 km (600 mi).
1964 February 15 - . 21:38 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 389 / Agena D 1174.
  • KH-4A 1004 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1004 / Agena D 1174 / OPS 3444. Mass: 1,590 kg (3,500 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-03-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 752 . COSPAR: 1964-008A. Apogee: 429 km (266 mi). Perigee: 172 km (106 mi). Inclination: 74.9000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: KH-4A. Main cameras operated satisfactorily. Minor degradations due to static and light leaks..
1964 February 28 - . 03:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 402 / Agena D 2316.
  • OPS 3722 - . Payload: Ferret 5 / Agena D 2316. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-02-19 . USAF Sat Cat: 759 . COSPAR: 1964-011A. Apogee: 516 km (320 mi). Perigee: 491 km (305 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 94.70 min.
1964 March 1 - . 06:40 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 209 (20006).
  • AFP-437 demonstration interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 674 km (418 mi).
1964 March 19 - . 11:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta B. LV Configuration: Thor Delta B 391/D24. FAILURE: Insufficient third stage thrust.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • Explorer (20) - . Payload: Beacon Explorer A. Mass: 54 kg (119 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: BE. Decay Date: 1964-03-19 . COSPAR: F640319A. Summary: Also known as Explorer S-66..
1964 March 24 - . 12:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2G. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2G 240. FAILURE: Second stage fired, then shut down, repeating the sequence several times.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • ASSET 2 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 55 km (34 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test materials for the X-20 Dynasoar. Aero-thermodynamic structural test vehicle (ASV) for heat shield tests. Good first stage burn, but the second stage fired, then shut down, repeating the sequence several times. The spacecraft separated, and began to maneuver in a 60 degree bank to recover course, when the self-destruct package blew it apart. The debris impacted the Atlantic 800 km downrange near San Salvador Island.
1964 March 24 - . 22:22 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 396 / Agena D 1175. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • KH-4A 1003 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1003. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-03-24 . COSPAR: F640324AA. Summary: KH-4A. Mission failed..
  • ORBIS 1 - . Payload: ORBIS 1. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. COSPAR: F640324AD.
  • SRV 631 - . Payload: SRV 1003-1. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. COSPAR: F640324AB.
  • SRV 630 - . Payload: SRV 1003-2. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. COSPAR: F640324AC.
1964 April 21 - . 06:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 290 (20003).
  • AFP-437 combat training interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 778 km (483 mi).
1964 April 21 - . 18:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 379 AB014. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • Transit 5BN-3 - . Mass: 75 kg (165 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1964-04-21 . COSPAR: F640421A. Summary: Carried SNAP-9A nuclear power source. After this launch failure it was decided that operational Transits would be solar-powered only..
  • Transit 5E-4 - . Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. COSPAR: F640421B. Summary: Radiation monitoring..
1964 April 27 - . 23:23 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 395 / Agena D 1604.
  • KH-4A 1005 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1005 / Agena D 1604 / OPS 2921. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-05-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 796 . COSPAR: 1964-022A. Apogee: 445 km (276 mi). Perigee: 175 km (108 mi). Inclination: 79.9000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-4A. Mission failed. Recovery vehicle impacted in Venezuela..
1964 May 28 - . 07:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 227 (20007). FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: 3.
  • AFP-437 combat training interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 932 km (579 mi).
1964 June - . LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor. LV Configuration: Thor LV-2D.
  • Program 437 ASAT declared operational. - . Nation: USA. Spacecraft: Program 437. Summary: The system had a two week reaction time - the missiles and nuclear warheads were stored in kits at Vandenberg and had to be deployed to the Johnson Atoll launch site..
1964 June 4 - . 22:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 403 / Agena D 1176.
  • KH-4A 1006 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1006 / Agena D 1176 / OPS 3483. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-06-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 802 . COSPAR: 1964-027A. Apogee: 429 km (266 mi). Perigee: 149 km (92 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4A. Highest quality imagery attained to date from the KH-4 system..
1964 June 13 - . 15:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 408 / Agena D 1606.
  • KH-5 9065A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9065A / OPS 3236. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1965-06-02 . USAF Sat Cat: 811 . COSPAR: 1964-030A. Apogee: 362 km (224 mi). Perigee: 352 km (218 mi). Inclination: 114.9000 deg. Period: 91.70 min. Summary: KH-5; carried Star Flash experiment. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • Starflash 1A - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: Starflash. COSPAR: 1964-030xx.
1964 June 18 - . 04:56 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 407 / Agena D 2304.
  • OPS 4467A - . Payload: DAPP / OPS 4467 A. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Technology. Type: Military technology satellite. Spacecraft: AFP-43. USAF Sat Cat: 812 . COSPAR: 1964-031A. Apogee: 820 km (500 mi). Perigee: 812 km (504 mi). Inclination: 99.8000 deg. Period: 101.20 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • OPS 4467B - . Payload: DAPP / OPS 4467 B. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Technology. Type: Military technology satellite. Spacecraft: AFP-43. USAF Sat Cat: 813 . COSPAR: 1964-031B. Apogee: 822 km (510 mi). Perigee: 814 km (505 mi). Inclination: 99.8000 deg. Period: 101.30 min.
1964 June 19 - . 23:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 410 / Agena D 1609.
  • KH-4A 1007 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1007 / Agena D 1609 / OPS 3754. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-07-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 814 . COSPAR: 1964-032A. Apogee: 451 km (280 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 85.0000 deg. Period: 90.90 min. Summary: KH-4A. Out-of-focus area on some film..
1964 July 2 - . 23:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 409 / Agena D 2315.
  • OPS 3395 - . Payload: Ferret 6 / Agena D 2315. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-08-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 824 . COSPAR: 1964-035A. Apogee: 520 km (320 mi). Perigee: 502 km (311 mi). Inclination: 82.1000 deg. Period: 94.90 min.
1964 July 10 - . 23:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 404 / Agena D 1177.
  • KH-4A 1008 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1008 / Agena D 1117 / OPS 3491. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-08-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 828 . COSPAR: 1964-037A. Apogee: 346 km (214 mi). Perigee: 173 km (107 mi). Inclination: 84.9000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated satisfactorily, some light leaks..
1964 July 22 - . 15:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2G. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2G 250.
  • ASSET 3 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 71 km (44 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test materials for the X-20 Dynasoar. Aero-thermodynamic structural test vehicle (ASV) for heat shield tests. Launched after four hours of holds. Tested Dynasoar hardware - tungsten nose cap, molbdenum panels with vapor-deposited disilicide, and liquid-cooled double-walled cockpit bathtub panel. Reached 5,500 m/s and recovered near Ascension Island 12 hours after launch.
1964 August 5 - . 23:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 413 / Agena D 1605.
  • KH-4A 1009 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1009 / Agena D 1605 / OPS 3042. Mass: 1,540 kg (3,390 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-09-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 846 . COSPAR: 1964-043A. Apogee: 436 km (270 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated successfully..
1964 August 19 - . 12:15 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta D. LV Configuration: Thor Delta D 417/D25.
  • Syncom 3 - . Payload: Syncom C. Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Technology. Type: Communications technology satellite. Spacecraft: Syncom. Completed Operations Date: 1974-12-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 858 . COSPAR: 1964-047A. Apogee: 35,792 km (22,240 mi). Perigee: 35,784 km (22,235 mi). Inclination: 0.1000 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min. Experimental commsat; carried Star Flash experiment. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 64 deg W in 1964; 180 deg E in 1964; 25 deg W in 1965; 165 deg E in 1966-1969. Last known longitude (6 December 1974) 6.08 deg W drifting at 0.188 deg W per day.
1964 August 21 - . 15:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 412 / Agena D 1603.
  • KH-5 9066A - . Payload: KH-5 s/n 9066A / Agena D 1603 / OPS 2739. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-5. Decay Date: 1965-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 861 . COSPAR: 1964-048A. Apogee: 363 km (225 mi). Perigee: 351 km (218 mi). Inclination: 114.9000 deg. Period: 91.70 min. Summary: KH-5. 15% of stellar film degraded by flare. Image smearing on leading edge of main camera film. Final ARGON mission. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
  • Starflash 1B - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: Starflash. Decay Date: 1965-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 861 . COSPAR: 1964-048xx. Apogee: 200 km (120 mi). Perigee: 196 km (121 mi). Inclination: 115.0000 deg. Period: 88.50 min.
1964 August 28 - . 07:56 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena B 399 (TA3) / Agena B 6201. FAILURE: Agena-B cut off too early. Partial Failure.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Nimbus 1 - . Payload: Nimbus A. Mass: 376 kg (828 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Nimbus. Decay Date: 1974-05-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 872 . COSPAR: 1964-052A. Apogee: 937 km (582 mi). Perigee: 429 km (266 mi). Inclination: 98.7000 deg. Period: 98.40 min. Returned 27,000 cloud cover images. The spacecraft carried an advanced vidicon camera system for recording and storing remote cloudcover pictures, an automatic picture transmission camera for providing real-time cloud cover pictures, and a high-resolution infrared radiometer to complement the daytime TV coverage and to measure nighttime radiative temperatures of cloud tops and surface terrain. A short second-stage burn resulted in an unplanned eccentric orbit. Otherwise, the spacecraft and its experiments operated successfully until September 22, 1964. The solar paddles became locked in position, resulting in inadequate electrical power to continue operations.
1964 September 14 - . 22:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 405 / Agena D 1178.
  • KH-4A 1010 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1010 / Agena D 1178 / OPS 3497. Mass: 1,330 kg (2,930 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-10-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 882 . COSPAR: 1964-056A. Apogee: 455 km (282 mi). Perigee: 174 km (108 mi). Inclination: 84.9000 deg. Period: 90.90 min. Summary: KH-4A. Small out of focus areas on both cameras at random times throughout the mission..
1964 October 4 - . 03:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 392/D26.
  • Explorer 21 - . Payload: IMP B. Mass: 62 kg (136 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. Decay Date: 1965-12-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 889 . COSPAR: 1964-060A. Apogee: 95,590 km (59,390 mi). Perigee: 191 km (118 mi). Inclination: 33.5000 deg. Period: 2,097.00 min. Summary: Lower than planned orbit. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1964 October 5 - . 21:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 421 / Agena D SS-01A 1170.
  • KH-4A 1011 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1011 / Agena D 1170 / OPS 3333. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-10-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 890 . COSPAR: 1964-061A. Apogee: 440 km (270 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-4A. Primary mode of recovery failed on second portion of the mission (1011-2). Small out of focus areas present at random on both cameras..
1964 October 6 - . 17:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 423 AB016.
  • Transit O-1 - . Payload: NNS 30010 / Ablestar 016 / OPS 5798. Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 897 . COSPAR: 1964-063B. Apogee: 1,077 km (669 mi). Perigee: 1,046 km (649 mi). Inclination: 90.2000 deg. Period: 106.40 min. Summary: Naval Avionics Facility-assembled production spacecraft. Failed after a few days operation..
  • Calsphere 1 - . Payload: Dragsphere 1. Mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Calsphere. USAF Sat Cat: 900 . COSPAR: 1964-063C. Apogee: 1,034 km (642 mi). Perigee: 997 km (619 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 105.50 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Calsphere 2 - . Payload: Dragsphere 2. Mass: 10 kg (22 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Calsphere. USAF Sat Cat: 902 . COSPAR: 1964-063E. Apogee: 1,078 km (669 mi). Perigee: 1,049 km (651 mi). Inclination: 90.2000 deg. Period: 106.50 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1964 October 17 - . 22:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 418 / Agena D SS-01A 1179.
  • KH-4A 1012 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1012 / Agena D 1179 / OPS 3559. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-11-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 911 . COSPAR: 1964-067A. Apogee: 416 km (258 mi). Perigee: 189 km (117 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. Vehicle attitude became erratic on the second portion of the mission necessitating an early recovery..
1964 October 29 - . 03:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2F. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2F 260.
  • ASSET 4 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test structural concepts for the X-20 Dynasoar. Aero-environmental test vehicle (AEV) to test aerodynamic properties of flexing outer skin with corrugated columbium panel. Reached 4,000 m/s at 50.6 km altitude before being released from launch vehicle. Telemetry received for 900 seconds until spaceplane had reached Mach 2 1200 km downrange. It then became unstable and crashed into the Atlantic. Recovery was not planned.
1964 November 2 - . 21:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 420 / Agena D SS-01A 1173.
  • KH-4A 1013 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1013 - Agena D 1173 / OPS 5434. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-11-28 . USAF Sat Cat: 921 . COSPAR: 1964-071A. Apogee: 210 km (130 mi). Perigee: 181 km (112 mi). Inclination: 51.2000 deg. Period: 88.40 min. Summary: KH-4A. Program anomaly occurred immediately after launch when both cameras operated for 417 frames. Main cameras ceased operation on rev 52D of first portion of mission negating second portion. About 65% of aft camera film is out of focus..
1964 November 4 - . 02:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 430 / Agena D SS-01A 2317.
  • OPS 3062 - . Payload: Ferret 7 / Agena D 2317. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-11-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 922 . COSPAR: 1964-072A. Apogee: 526 km (326 mi). Perigee: 512 km (318 mi). Inclination: 82.0000 deg. Period: 95.00 min.
1964 November 16 - . 06:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. Launch Pad: LE1?. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 236.
  • AFP-437 combat training interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 1,148 km (713 mi).
1964 November 18 - . 20:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 416 / Agena D SS-01A 1180.
  • KH-4A 1014 (ORBIS) - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1014 & Orbis / Agena D 1180 / OPS 3360. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-12-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 930 . COSPAR: 1964-075A. Apogee: 329 km (204 mi). Perigee: 177 km (109 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 89.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated successfully..
  • ORBIS - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1964-12-06 . USAF Sat Cat: 930 . COSPAR: 1964-075xx. Apogee: 276 km (171 mi). Perigee: 167 km (103 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 88.90 min.
1964 December 9 - . 02:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2F. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2F 247.
  • ASSET 5 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 50 km (31 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test structural concepts for the X-20 Dynasoar. Aero-environmental test vehicle (AEV) to test aerodynamic properties of flexing outer skin with corrugated columbium panel. Reached 4,000 m/s at 53.2 km altitude before being released from launch vehicle. Telemetry received for 900 seconds until spaceplane had reached Mach 2 1200 km downrange. It then became unstable and crashed into the Atlantic. Recovery was not planned.
1964 December 13 - . 00:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 427 AB017.
  • Transit 5E-5 - . Payload: APL SN 43 / OPS 6582. Mass: 78 kg (171 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 959 . COSPAR: 1964-083C. Apogee: 1,064 km (661 mi). Perigee: 1,007 km (625 mi). Inclination: 89.8000 deg. Period: 105.90 min. Summary: Celestial UV, magnetic field data..
  • Transit O-2 - . Payload: NNS 30020 / OPS 6582. Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 965 . COSPAR: 1964-083D. Apogee: 1,079 km (670 mi). Perigee: 1,020 km (630 mi). Inclination: 89.8000 deg. Period: 106.20 min. Summary: Naval Avionics Facility-assembled production spacecraft. Failed after a few days operation..
1964 December 19 - . 21:10 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 424 / Agena D SS-01A 1607.
  • KH-4A 1015 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1015 / Agena D 1607 / OPS 3358. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-01-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 961 . COSPAR: 1964-085A. Apogee: 405 km (251 mi). Perigee: 193 km (119 mi). Inclination: 74.9000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: KH-4A. Discrepancies in planned and actual coverage due to telemetry problems during the first 6 revolutions. Small out-of-focus areas on film from aft camera..
1964 December 21 - . 09:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 393/D27.
  • Explorer 26 - . Payload: EPE D - 661A Flight 21-3. Mass: 46 kg (101 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: EPE. Decay Date: 1978-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 963 . COSPAR: 1964-086A. Apogee: 10,043 km (6,240 mi). Perigee: 284 km (176 mi). Inclination: 19.8000 deg. Period: 205.70 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1964 December 21 - . 19:08 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 425 / Agena D SS-01A 2355.
  • OPS 3762/Agena D 2355 - . Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Program: ELINT. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1965-01-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 964 . COSPAR: 1964-087A. Apogee: 264 km (164 mi). Perigee: 238 km (147 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 89.50 min. Summary: Unknown mission. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A)..
1965 January 15 - . 21:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 414 / Agena D SS-01A 1608.
  • KH-4A 1016 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1016 / Agena D 1608 / OPS 3928. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-02-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 972 . COSPAR: 1965-002A. Apogee: 420 km (260 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: KH-4A. Smearing of highly reflective images due to reflections within camera..
1965 January 19 - . 05:03 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor MG-18. LV Configuration: Thor MG-18 224.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F1 - . Payload: DAPP 10 / OPS 7040. Mass: 150 kg (330 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. Decay Date: 1979-07-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 973 . COSPAR: 1965-003A. Apogee: 833 km (517 mi). Perigee: 462 km (287 mi). Inclination: 98.8000 deg. Period: 97.60 min. Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. Launch date was January 18, 1965. The launch was successful and correct orbit was achieved. However, the heat shield on the second stage did not deploy correctly and the mission objectives were not fully realized. This first Burner I bird is distinguishable in photos by its black second stage.
1965 January 22 - . 07:52 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 374/D28.
  • Tiros 9 - . Payload: Tiros I (A-54). Mass: 138 kg (304 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 978 . COSPAR: 1965-004A. Apogee: 2,563 km (1,592 mi). Perigee: 705 km (438 mi). Inclination: 96.4000 deg. Period: 119.00 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1965 February 3 - . 16:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 411/D29.
  • OSO 2 - . Payload: OSO B2 (S-17). Mass: 247 kg (544 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: OSO. Decay Date: 1989-08-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 987 . COSPAR: 1965-007A. Apogee: 306 km (190 mi). Perigee: 294 km (182 mi). Inclination: 32.8000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: Orbiting Solar Observatory; returned solar X-ray, UV, gamma ray data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1965 February 23 - . 14:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2G. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2G 248.
  • ASSET 6 re-entry vehicle test flight - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 70 km (43 mi). Suborbital test of small scale spaceplane model to test materials for the X-20 Dynasoar. Reached 6,000 m/s and 4,350 km range. Tested twelve different kinds of refractory metals and covered with 2000 dots of heat-sensitive paint to characterize thermal profile on reentry. Telemetry indicated that the spacecraft survived reentry, but it evidently sank upon impacting the ocean and could not be recovered as planned.
1965 February 25 - . 21:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 432 / Agena D SS-01B 1611.
  • KH-4A 1017 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1017 / Agena D 1611 / OPS 4782. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-03-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 1096 . COSPAR: 1965-013A. Apogee: 377 km (234 mi). Perigee: 177 km (109 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 90.10 min. Summary: KH-4A. Capping shutter malfunction occurred during last 5 passes of mission..
1965 March 9 - . 18:29 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 419 / Agena D SS-01A 2701.
  • Solrad 6B - . Payload: NRL PL 142 / OPS 4988. Mass: 40 kg (88 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: ELINT. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: NRL ELINT. USAF Sat Cat: 1271 . COSPAR: 1965-016A. Apogee: 924 km (574 mi). Perigee: 896 km (556 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Identified by McDowell as probable NRL ELINT satellite..
  • GGSE 2 - . Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Technology. Type: Gravity gradient technology satellite. Spacecraft: GGSE. USAF Sat Cat: 1244 . COSPAR: 1965-016B. Apogee: 925 km (574 mi). Perigee: 898 km (557 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Gravity gradient stabilization tests. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Solrad 7B - . Payload: GRAB 6. Mass: 47 kg (103 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: GRAB. USAF Sat Cat: 1291 . COSPAR: 1965-016D. Apogee: 928 km (576 mi). Perigee: 901 km (559 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.30 min. Summary: Solar radiation monitoring. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • GGSE 3 - . Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Technology. Type: Gravity gradient technology satellite. Spacecraft: GGSE. USAF Sat Cat: 1292 . COSPAR: 1965-016C. Apogee: 915 km (568 mi). Perigee: 886 km (550 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.00 min. Summary: Gravity gradient stabilization tests. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • SECOR 3 - . Payload: EGRS 3. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA ACE. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: SECOR. USAF Sat Cat: 1208 . COSPAR: 1965-016E. Apogee: 925 km (574 mi). Perigee: 898 km (557 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Oscar 3 - . Mass: 14 kg (30 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: OSCAR. Program: Oscar. Class: Communications. Type: Amateur radio communications satellite. Spacecraft: Oscar. USAF Sat Cat: 1293 . COSPAR: 1965-016F. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi). Perigee: 876 km (544 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 102.80 min. OSCAR III was launched piggyback with seven United States Air Force satellites. Weight 16.3 kg. It was the first amateur satellite to operate from solar power and relay signals from Earth. OSCAR III was the first true amateur satellite relaying voice contacts in the VHF 2 meter band through a 1 W 50 kHz wide linear transponder (146 MHz uplink and 144 MHz downlink). OSCAR III's transponder lasted 18 days. More than 1000 amateurs in 22 countries communicated through the linear transponder. The two beacon transmitters continued operating for several months.

    Note: Designed, built, and tested, a predecssor, OSCAR* was never launched. Similar in design to OSCAR I and II, OSCAR* contained a 250 mW beacon with phase-coherent keying. OSCAR* was never launched as the workers decided to focus their efforts on the first relay satellite -- OSCAR III.

  • SURCAL 2B - . Mass: 5.00 kg (11.00 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. Decay Date: 1981-03-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 1310 . COSPAR: 1965-016G. Apogee: 947 km (588 mi). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.50 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • DODECAPOLE 1/Porcupine 1 - . Payload: Dodecapole 1. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: DODECAPOLE. USAF Sat Cat: 1272 . COSPAR: 1965-016H. Apogee: 930 km (570 mi). Perigee: 901 km (559 mi). Inclination: 70.1000 deg. Period: 103.30 min. Summary: Surveillance calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1965 March 11 - . 13:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 440 AB018.
  • Transit-O-3 - . Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. Decay Date: 1965-06-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 1303 . COSPAR: 1965-017A. Apogee: 418 km (259 mi). Perigee: 191 km (118 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: Naval Avionics Facility-assembled production spacecraft. Failed after a few weeks operation..
  • SECOR 2 - . Payload: EGRS 2. Mass: 18 kg (39 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA ACE. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: SECOR. Decay Date: 1968-02-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 1250 . COSPAR: 1965-017B. Apogee: 1,014 km (630 mi). Perigee: 296 km (183 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 97.90 min. Summary: Failed. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1965 March 18 - . 04:43 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor MG-18. LV Configuration: Thor MG-18 306.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F2 - . Payload: DAPP 11 / OPS 7353. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. Decay Date: 1989-12-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 1273 . COSPAR: 1965-021A. Apogee: 146 km (90 mi). Perigee: 139 km (86 mi). Inclination: 99.0000 deg. Period: 87.30 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. A fully successful launch with all objectives met. The night launch time of 2100 hrs Vandenberg time with a 5 minute launch window was the same for both the first and second Burner I launches..
1965 March 25 - . 21:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 429 / Agena D SS-01B 1612.
  • KH-4A 1018 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1018 / Agena D 1612 / OPS 4803. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-04-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 1307 . COSPAR: 1965-026A. Apogee: 381 km (236 mi). Perigee: 237 km (147 mi). Inclination: 96.0000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated successfully. First KH-4A reconnaissance system to be launched into a retrograde orbit..
1965 April 5 - . 07:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 155.
  • AFP-437 combat training interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 826 km (513 mi).
1965 April 6 - . 23:47 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta D. LV Configuration: Thor Delta D 426/D30.
  • Intelsat 1 F-1 - . Payload: Early Bird. Mass: 39 kg (85 lb). Nation: International. Agency: INTELSAT. Program: Intelsat. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Intelsat 1. Completed Operations Date: 1971-01-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 1317 . COSPAR: 1965-028A. Apogee: 35,819 km (22,256 mi). Perigee: 35,746 km (22,211 mi). Inclination: 11.7000 deg. Period: 1,435.90 min. Over Atlantic. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit at 28 deg W in 1965; 38 deg W in 1965-1966. As of 27 July 2001 located at 92.54 deg W drifting at 0.324 deg W per day. As of 2007 Jan 13 located at 47.74W drifting at 0.017E degrees per day.
1965 April 29 - . 21:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 437 / Agena D SS-01B 1614.
  • KH-4A 1019 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1019 / Agena D 1614 / OPS 5023. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-05-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 1330 . COSPAR: 1965-033A. Apogee: 461 km (286 mi). Perigee: 181 km (112 mi). Inclination: 85.0000 deg. Period: 91.00 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated successfully. Malfunction in recovery mode on 1019-2 negated recovery..
  • SRV 627 - . Payload: SRV 1019-2 / OPS 5023. Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-06-08 . USAF Sat Cat: 1367 . COSPAR: 1965-033B. Apogee: 509 km (316 mi). Perigee: 134 km (83 mi). Inclination: 84.9000 deg. Period: 91.00 min. Summary: Cameras operated successfully. Malfunction in recovery mode on 1019-2 negated recovery..
1965 May 18 - . 18:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 438 / Agena D SS-01B 1615.
  • KH-4A 1021 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1021 / Agena D 1615 / OPS 8431. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-06-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 1374 . COSPAR: 1965-037A. Apogee: 399 km (247 mi). Perigee: 321 km (199 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 91.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Aft camera ceased operation on pass 102..
1965 May 20 - . 16:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 1. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 1 282.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F3 - . Payload: DAPP 12 / OPS 8386. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 1377 . COSPAR: 1965-038A. Apogee: 731 km (454 mi). Perigee: 503 km (312 mi). Inclination: 98.1000 deg. Period: 97.10 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1965 May 29 - . 12:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 441/D31.
  • Explorer 28 - . Payload: IMP C. Mass: 58 kg (127 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. Decay Date: 1968-07-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 1388 . COSPAR: 1965-042A. Apogee: 261,206 km (162,305 mi). Perigee: 229 km (142 mi). Inclination: 30.5000 deg. Period: 8,419.70 min. Summary: Magnetic field, radiation data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1965 June 9 - . 21:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 444 / Agena D SS-01B 1613.
  • KH-4A 1020 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1020 / Agena D 1613 / OPS 8425. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-06-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 1396 . COSPAR: 1965-045A. Apogee: 355 km (220 mi). Perigee: 176 km (109 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 89.90 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily. Erratic attitude caused an early recovery after the second day of 1020-2..
1965 June 24 - . 22:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 447 AB019.
  • Transit O-4 - . Payload: NNS 30040 / OPS 8480. Mass: 61 kg (134 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 1420 . COSPAR: 1965-048A. Apogee: 1,125 km (699 mi). Perigee: 1,016 km (631 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 106.60 min. Summary: Spacecraft built by Naval Avionics Facility, but refurbished by APL. Operated for 7 to 11 months, but then failed due to poor workmanship of NAFI components..
1965 July 2 - . 04:07 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 415/D32.
  • Tiros 10 - . Payload: Tiros OT1. Mass: 127 kg (279 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 1430 . COSPAR: 1965-051A. Apogee: 807 km (501 mi). Perigee: 722 km (448 mi). Inclination: 98.8000 deg. Period: 100.10 min. Summary: Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1965 July 17 - . 05:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 422 / Agena D SS-01B 2702.
  • OPS 8411 - . Payload: Ferret 8 / Agena D 2702. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1968-12-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 1447 . COSPAR: 1965-055A. Apogee: 512 km (318 mi). Perigee: 471 km (292 mi). Inclination: 70.2000 deg. Period: 94.50 min.
1965 July 19 - . 22:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 446 / Agena D SS-01B 1617.
  • KH-4A 1022 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1022 / Agena D 1617 / OPS 5543. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-08-18 . USAF Sat Cat: 1457 . COSPAR: 1965-057A. Apogee: 461 km (286 mi). Perigee: 189 km (117 mi). Inclination: 85.1000 deg. Period: 91.00 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily..
1965 August 13 - . 22:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Able-Star. LV Configuration: Thor Ablestar-2 455 AB020.
  • Dodecapole 2 - . Payload: PORCUPINE 2. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: DODECAPOLE. USAF Sat Cat: 1510 . COSPAR: 1965-065C. Apogee: 1,051 km (653 mi). Perigee: 979 km (608 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 105.40 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration; dodecahedron; extended 12 25 ft. antennas. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Tempsat 1 - . Mass: 9.00 kg (19.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Tempsat. USAF Sat Cat: 1512 . COSPAR: 1965-065E. Apogee: 1,188 km (738 mi). Perigee: 1,082 km (672 mi). Inclination: 89.9000 deg. Period: 108.00 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration; black 14 inch dia. sphere. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • SURCAL 5 - . Payload: NRL PL150C?. Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. USAF Sat Cat: 1521 . COSPAR: 1965-065K. Apogee: 1,196 km (743 mi). Perigee: 1,083 km (672 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 108.11 min.
  • Transit O-5 - . Payload: NNS 30050 / OPS 8464. Mass: 61 kg (134 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Program: Transit. Class: Navigation. Type: Navigation satellite. Spacecraft: Transit. USAF Sat Cat: 1514 . COSPAR: 1965-065F. Apogee: 1,183 km (735 mi). Perigee: 1,078 km (669 mi). Inclination: 89.9000 deg. Period: 107.90 min. Summary: Naval Avionics Facility-assembled production spacecraft. Failed after a few weeks operation..
  • Calsphere 4A - . Payload: NRL PL 158?. Mass: 2.00 kg (4.40 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Calsphere. USAF Sat Cat: 1520 . COSPAR: 1965-065H. Apogee: 1,179 km (732 mi). Perigee: 1,077 km (669 mi). Inclination: 90.1000 deg. Period: 107.90 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration; white 14 inch dia. sphere. .
  • Long Rod - . Payload: Navspasur Rod. Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Surcal. USAF Sat Cat: 1515 . COSPAR: 1965-065G. Apogee: 1,194 km (741 mi). Perigee: 1,090 km (670 mi). Inclination: 90.0000 deg. Period: 108.10 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1965 August 17 - . 20:59 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 449 / Agena D SS-01B 1618.
  • KH-4A 1023 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1023 / Agena D 1618 / OPS 7208. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-10-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 1513 . COSPAR: 1965-067A. Apogee: 399 km (247 mi). Perigee: 179 km (111 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 90.30 min. Summary: KH-4A. Program anomaly caused the fore camera to cease operation during revolutions 103-132..
1965 August 25 - . 15:17 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 434/D33. FAILURE: Premature third stage ignition.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • OSO C - . Payload: OSO C. Mass: 280 kg (610 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: OSO. Decay Date: 1965-08-25 . COSPAR: F650825A.
1965 September 2 - . 20:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 401 / Agena D SS-01A 1602. FAILURE: Agena-D failed; destroyed by range safety.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • Starfish Radiation 2 - . Payload: OPS 3373 / FTV 1602. Mass: 1,150 kg (2,530 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Starfish. Decay Date: 1965-09-02 . COSPAR: F650902A. Apogee: 11 km (6 mi). Summary: Artificial radiation data..
1965 September 10 - . 04:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 1. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 1 213.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F4 - . Payload: DAPP 13 / OPS 8068. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 1580 . COSPAR: 1965-072A. Apogee: 993 km (617 mi). Perigee: 635 km (394 mi). Inclination: 98.5000 deg. Period: 101.20 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1965 September 22 - . 21:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 458 / Agena D SS-01B 1619.
  • KH-4A 102 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 102 / Agena D 1619 / OPS 7221. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-10-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 1602 . COSPAR: 1965-074A. Apogee: 364 km (226 mi). Perigee: 191 km (118 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.00 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily. Cameras not operated on passes 88D-93D..
1965 October 5 - . 17:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 433 / Agena D SS-01B 1616.
  • KH-4A 1025 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1025 / Agena D 1616 / OPS 5325. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-10-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 1615 . COSPAR: 1965-079A. Apogee: 322 km (200 mi). Perigee: 202 km (125 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Main cameras operated satisfactorily..
1965 October 14 - . 13:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 435 (TA4) / Agena D SS-01B 680.
  • OGO 2 - . Payload: OGO C (S-50). Mass: 507 kg (1,117 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: OGO. Decay Date: 1981-09-17 . USAF Sat Cat: 1620 . COSPAR: 1965-081A. Apogee: 1,515 km (941 mi). Perigee: 419 km (260 mi). Inclination: 87.4000 deg. Period: 104.40 min. OGO 2 was a large observatory instrumented with 20 experiments designed to make simultaneous, correlative observations of aurora and airglow emissions, energetic particles, magnetic field variations, ionospheric properties, etc., especially over the polar areas. Soon after achieving orbit, difficulties in maintaining earth lock with horizon scanners caused exhaustion of attitude control gas by October 23, 1965, 10 days after launch. At this time, the spacecraft entered a spin mode (about 0.11 rpm) with a large coning angle about the previously vertical axis. Five experiments became useless when the satellite went into this spin mode. Six additional experiments were degraded by this loss of attitude control. By April 1966, both batteries had failed, so subsequent observations were limited to sunlit portions of the orbit. By December 1966, only eight experiments were operational, five of which were not degraded by the spin mode operation. By April 1967, the tape recorders had malfunctioned and only one third of the recorded data could be processed. Spacecraft power and periods of operational scheduling conflicts created six large data gaps so that data were observed on a total of about 306 days of the 2-yr, 18-day total span of observed satellite data to November 1, 1967. The spacecraft was shut down on November 1, 1967, with eight experiments still operational. It was reactivated for 2 weeks in February 1968 to operate the rubidium vapor magnetometer experiment.
1965 October 28 - . 21:17 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 439 / Agena D SS-01B 1620.
  • KH-4A 1026 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1026 / Agena D 1620 / OPS 2155. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-11-17 . USAF Sat Cat: 1637 . COSPAR: 1965-086A. Apogee: 432 km (268 mi). Perigee: 173 km (107 mi). Inclination: 74.9000 deg. Period: 90.50 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily..
1965 November 6 - . 18:38 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 457/D34.
  • Explorer 29 - . Payload: GEOS A. Mass: 175 kg (385 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: GEOS. USAF Sat Cat: 1726 . COSPAR: 1965-089A. Apogee: 2,269 km (1,409 mi). Perigee: 1,120 km (690 mi). Inclination: 59.4000 deg. Period: 120.30 min. The primary objective of GEOS-A was to provide global geodetic measurements for determining the positions of fiducial control points on the Earth to an accuracy of 10 meters in an Earth centre of mass co-ordinate system, and to determine the structure of the Earth's gravity field to 5 parts in 10 million. Instrumentation included (1) four optical beacons, (2) laser reflectors, (3) a radio range transponder, (4) Doppler beacons, and (5) a range and range rate transponder. These were designed to operate simultaneously to fulfil the objectives of locating observation points (geodetic control stations) in a three dimensional earth centre-of-mass co-ordinate system within 10 m of accuracy, of defining the structure of the earth's irregular gravitational field and refining the locations and magnitudes of the large gravity anomalies, and of comparing results of the various systems onboard the spacecraft to determine the most accurate and reliable system. In January 1967, a failure in the satellite's command system rendered several geodetic systems inoperable. Radio doppler measurements and the passive laser reflector experiment could continue indefinitely, however. Additional Details: here....
1965 November 29 - . 04:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena B 453 (TA5) / Agena B S-01 6102 .
  • Alouette 2 - . Payload: Alouette 2 / Explorer 31. Mass: 145 kg (319 lb). Nation: Canada. Agency: DRTE. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Alouette. USAF Sat Cat: 1804 . COSPAR: 1965-098A. Apogee: 2,666 km (1,656 mi). Perigee: 503 km (312 mi). Inclination: 79.8000 deg. Period: 117.90 min. Ionospheric research; data correlated with Explorer 31. The double-launch project, known as ISIS-X was the first in a new co-operative NASA-Canadian Defense Research Board program for International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies. Alouette was in orbit with an apogee just over a kilometre lower than Explorer 31's and with a perigee of just more than a kilometre higher. The orbits were some 3000 km at apogee and 500 km at perigee.
  • Explorer 31 - . Payload: DME A. Mass: 99 kg (218 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Ionosphere satellite. Spacecraft: DME. USAF Sat Cat: 1806 . COSPAR: 1965-098B. Apogee: 2,833 km (1,760 mi). Perigee: 505 km (313 mi). Inclination: 79.8000 deg. Period: 119.70 min. Ionospheric research; data correlated with Alouette 2. The Explorer 31, Direct Measurement Explorer, was launched with a Canadian Alouette II on November 28, 1965, on a Thor-Agena rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The double-launch project, known as ISIS-X was the first in a new co-operative NASA-Canadian Defense Research Board program for International Satellites for Ionospheric Studies. Explorer 31 was in orbit with an apogee just over a kilometre more than Alouette's and with a perigee of just more than a kilometre lower. The orbits were some 3000 km at apogee and 500 km at perigee. Eight ionospheric measurement experiments sampled the environment both forward and after the satellite's path.
1965 December 7 - . 02:28 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 188 (20011).
  • AFP-437(AP) interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 487 km (302 mi).
1965 December 9 - . 21:10 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 448 / Agena D SS-01B 1621.
  • KH-4A 1027 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1027 / Agena D 1621 / OPS 7249. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1965-12-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 1816 . COSPAR: 1965-102A. Apogee: 439 km (272 mi). Perigee: 186 km (115 mi). Inclination: 80.1000 deg. Period: 90.80 min. Summary: KH-4A. Erratic attitude necessitated recovery after two days of operation. All cameras operated satisfactorily..
1965 December 16 - . 07:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 460/D35.
  • Pioneer 6 - . Payload: Pioneer A. Mass: 63 kg (138 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Ames. Program: Pioneer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: Pioneer 6-7-8-9-E. USAF Sat Cat: 1841 . COSPAR: 1965-105A. Summary: Measured solar wind, Sun's magnetic field. Solar Orbit (Heliocentric). Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1965 December 24 - . 21:06 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 451 / Agena D SS-01B 1610.
  • KH-4A 1028 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1028 / Agena D 1610 / OPS 4639. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-01-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 1866 . COSPAR: 1965-110A. Apogee: 443 km (275 mi). Perigee: 181 km (112 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Cameras operated satisfactorily..
1966 January 8 - . 04:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 1. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 1 251. FAILURE: Second stage failed.. Failed Stage: 2.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F5 - . Payload: DAPP 14/OPS 2394. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. Decay Date: 1966-01-06 . COSPAR: F660108A. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1966 January 18 - . 18:11 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 242.
  • AFP-437(AP) interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 459 km (285 mi).
1966 February 2 - . 21:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 450 / Agena D SS-01B 1623.
  • KH-4A 1029 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1029 / Agena D 1623 / OPS 7291. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-02-27 . USAF Sat Cat: 1968 . COSPAR: 1966-007A. Apogee: 428 km (265 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. Both panoramic cameras were operational throughout..
1966 February 3 - . 07:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 445/D36.
  • ESSA 1 - . Payload: Tiros OT3. Mass: 138 kg (304 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 1982 . COSPAR: 1966-008A. Apogee: 806 km (500 mi). Perigee: 684 km (425 mi). Inclination: 97.8000 deg. Period: 99.70 min. Summary: Environmental Survey Satellite. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1966 February 9 - . 19:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 428 / Agena D SS-01B 2703.
  • OPS 1439 - . Payload: Ferret 9 / Agena D 2703. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-09-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 1997 . COSPAR: 1966-009A. Apogee: 511 km (317 mi). Perigee: 507 km (315 mi). Inclination: 82.0000 deg. Period: 94.70 min.
1966 February 28 - . 13:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 461/D37.
  • ESSA 2 - . Payload: Tiros OT2. Mass: 132 kg (291 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Tiros. USAF Sat Cat: 2091 . COSPAR: 1966-016A. Apogee: 1,415 km (879 mi). Perigee: 1,355 km (841 mi). Inclination: 101.3000 deg. Period: 113.50 min. Summary: Environmental Survey Satellite; carried APT cameras. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1966 March 9 - . 22:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 452 / Agena D SS-01B 1622.
  • KH-4A 1030 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1030 / Agena D 1622 / OPS 3488. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-03-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 2099 . COSPAR: 1966-018A. Apogee: 418 km (259 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily..
1966 March 12 - . 00:42 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 196.
  • AFP-437(AP) interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 472 km (293 mi).
1966 March 30 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor.
  • Final mission of the Thor/Altair from Vandenberg - . Nation: USA. Summary: Final mission of the Thor/Altair from Vandenberg AFB (first launch on 18 January 1965)..
1966 March 31 - . 05:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 1. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 1 147.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F6 - . Payload: DAPP 15 / OPS 0340. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 2125 . COSPAR: 1966-026A. Apogee: 855 km (531 mi). Perigee: 604 km (375 mi). Inclination: 98.3000 deg. Period: 99.40 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1966 April 7 - . 22:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 474 / Agena D SS-01B 1627.
  • KH-4A 1031 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1031 / Agena D 1627 / OPS 1612. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-04-26 . USAF Sat Cat: 2136 . COSPAR: 1966-029A. Apogee: 312 km (193 mi). Perigee: 193 km (119 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 89.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. The aft-looking camera malfunctioned after the recovery of bucket '1'. No material was received in bucket '2' (1031-2)..
1966 May 3 - . 19:25 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 465 / Agena D SS-01B 1625. FAILURE: Failure. Failed Stage: U.
  • KH-4A 1032 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1032. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-05-04 . COSPAR: F660503A.
  • SRV 707 - . Payload: SRV 1032-1. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. COSPAR: F660503B.
  • SRV 708 - . Payload: SRV 1032-2. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. COSPAR: F660503C.
1966 May 15 - . 07:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena B SLV-2A/B. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena B 456 (TA6) / Agena B S-01 6202 .
  • Nimbus 2 - . Payload: Nimbus C. Mass: 414 kg (912 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: Nimbus. USAF Sat Cat: 2173 . COSPAR: 1966-040A. Apogee: 1,176 km (730 mi). Perigee: 1,093 km (679 mi). Inclination: 100.3000 deg. Period: 108.00 min. TV, IR cloud cover photos. The spacecraft carried an advanced vidicon camera system for recording and storing remote cloud cover pictures, an automatic picture transmission camera for providing real-time cloudcover pictures, and both high- and medium-resolution infrared radiometers (HRIR and MRIR) for measuring the intensity and distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted by and reflected from the earth and its atmosphere. The spacecraft and experiments performed normally after launch until July 26, 1966, when the spacecraft tape recorder failed. Its function was taken over by the HRIR tape recorder until November 15, 1966, when it also failed. Some real-time data were collected until January 17, 1969, when the spacecraft mission was terminated owing to deterioration of the horizon scanner used for earth reference.
1966 May 24 - . 02:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 469 / Agena D SS-01B 1630.
  • KH-4A 1033 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1033 / Agena D 1630 / OPS 1778. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-06-09 . USAF Sat Cat: 2181 . COSPAR: 1966-042A. Apogee: 271 km (168 mi). Perigee: 179 km (111 mi). Inclination: 66.0000 deg. Period: 89.00 min. Summary: KH-4A. The stellar camera shutter of bucket '2' remained open for approximately 200 frames..
1966 May 25 - . 14:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C1 436/D38.
  • Explorer 32 - . Payload: AE B. Mass: 225 kg (496 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Atmosphere satellite. Spacecraft: AE. Decay Date: 1985-02-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 2183 . COSPAR: 1966-044A. Apogee: 2,723 km (1,691 mi). Perigee: 282 km (175 mi). Inclination: 64.6000 deg. Period: 116.00 min. Summary: Atmospheric Explorer; aeronomy experiments. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1966 June 21 - . 21:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 466 / Agena D SS-01B 1626.
  • KH-4A 1034 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1034 / Agena D 1626 / OPS 1599. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-07-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 2227 . COSPAR: 1966-055A. Apogee: 359 km (223 mi). Perigee: 207 km (128 mi). Inclination: 80.1000 deg. Period: 90.10 min. Summary: KH-4A. Failure of velocity/altitude programmer produced poor imagery after revolution 5..
1966 June 24 - . 00:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 473 (TA7) / Agena D SS-01B 631.
  • Pageos 1 - . Payload: Pageos A. Mass: 55 kg (121 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Langley. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: Pageos. Decay Date: 1975-07-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 2253 . COSPAR: 1966-056A. Apogee: 4,220 km (2,620 mi). Perigee: 3,913 km (2,431 mi). Inclination: 85.4000 deg. Period: 177.10 min. The PAGEOS (Passive Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) spacecraft was a 30.48-m inflatable sphere, and had no instrumentation on board. It was the second (following GEOS 1) NASA satellite in the National Geodetic Satellites Program. The launch, orbit, separation, inflation and initial operation were nominal, with more than 40 ground stations participating in the observation program. The orbit was generally considered too high for drag-density study, although some work was done in this area by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Additional Details: here....
  • Pageos canister half - . Payload: Pageos canister half. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Langley. Spacecraft: Pageos. USAF Sat Cat: 2511 . COSPAR: 1966-056D. Apogee: 4,255 km (2,643 mi). Perigee: 4,227 km (2,626 mi). Inclination: 87.0000 deg. Period: 181.50 min.
  • Pageos canister half - . Payload: Pageos canister half. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Langley. Spacecraft: Pageos. USAF Sat Cat: 2256 . COSPAR: 1966-056C. Apogee: 4,276 km (2,656 mi). Perigee: 4,196 km (2,607 mi). Inclination: 86.9000 deg. Period: 181.40 min.
1966 July 1 - . 16:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 467/D39.
  • Explorer 33 - . Payload: AIMP D. Mass: 93 kg (205 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. USAF Sat Cat: 2258 . COSPAR: 1966-058A. Apogee: 480,762 km (298,731 mi). Perigee: 265,679 km (165,084 mi). Inclination: 24.1000 deg. Period: 38,792.40 min. Summary: Intended to enter lunar orbit. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1966 July 2 - . 20:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE2. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 289.
  • AFP-437(AP) interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 802 km (498 mi).
1966 August 9 - . 20:46 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 506 / Agena D SS-01B 1631.
  • KH-4A 1036 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1036 / Agena D 1631 / OPS 1545. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-09-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 2393 . COSPAR: 1966-072A. Apogee: 284 km (176 mi). Perigee: 190 km (110 mi). Inclination: 100.1000 deg. Period: 89.20 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily..
1966 August 17 - . 15:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 462/D40.
  • Pioneer 7 - . Payload: Pioneer B. Mass: 63 kg (138 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Ames. Program: Pioneer. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: Pioneer 6-7-8-9-E. USAF Sat Cat: 2398 . COSPAR: 1966-075A. Apogee: 993 km (617 mi). Perigee: 246 km (152 mi). Inclination: 33.0000 deg. Period: 97.20 min. Summary: Monitored solar wind, cosmic rays. SOLAR ORB. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B)..
1966 September 16 - . 04:36 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 2. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 2 167.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F7 - . Payload: DAPP 1416 (FTV-3) / OPS 6026. Mass: 125 kg (275 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 2418 . COSPAR: 1966-082A. Apogee: 857 km (532 mi). Perigee: 674 km (418 mi). Inclination: 98.3000 deg. Period: 100.20 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1966 September 20 - . 21:14 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 477 / Agena D SS-01B 1628.
  • KH-4A 1035 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1035 / Agena D 1628 / OPS 1703. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-10-12 . USAF Sat Cat: 2427 . COSPAR: 1966-085A. Apogee: 430 km (260 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 85.1000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Summary: KH-4A. All cameras operated satisfactorily. First mission flown with pan geometry modification..
1966 October 2 - . 10:39 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 463/D41.
  • ESSA 3 - . Payload: TOS A. Mass: 145 kg (319 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: TOS. USAF Sat Cat: 2435 . COSPAR: 1966-087A. Apogee: 1,486 km (923 mi). Perigee: 1,387 km (861 mi). Inclination: 100.9000 deg. Period: 114.60 min. Summary: Environmental Survey Satellite 3; replace ESSA 1. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1966 October 26 - . 23:05 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 464/D42. FAILURE: Partial Failure.. Failed Stage: 3.
  • Intelsat 2 F-1 - . Mass: 140 kg (300 lb). Nation: International. Agency: Intelsat. Program: Intelsat. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Intelsat 2. Decay Date: 1982-09-07 . USAF Sat Cat: 2514 . COSPAR: 1966-096A. Apogee: 37,070 km (23,030 mi). Perigee: 3,328 km (2,067 mi). Inclination: 17.3000 deg. Period: 718.70 min. Summary: Unusable orbit due to AKM failure. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1966 November 8 - . 19:53 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 507 / Agena D SS-01B 1632.
  • KH-4A 1037 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1037 / Agena D 1632 / OPS 1866. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1966-11-29 . USAF Sat Cat: 2537 . COSPAR: 1966-102A. Apogee: 300 km (180 mi). Perigee: 179 km (111 mi). Inclination: 100.0000 deg. Period: 89.20 min. Summary: KH-4A. Second pan geometry mission. Higher than normal base plus fog encountered on both main camera records..
1966 December 14 - . 19:20 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta G. LV Configuration: Thor Delta G 471/D43.
  • Biosatellite 1 - . Payload: Biosat 1. Mass: 425 kg (936 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Ames. Class: Biology. Type: Biology satellite. Spacecraft: Biosatellite. Decay Date: 1967-02-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 2631 . COSPAR: 1966-114C. Apogee: 309 km (192 mi). Perigee: 295 km (183 mi). Inclination: 33.5000 deg. Period: 90.40 min. Reentry into the Earth's atmosphere was not achieved because the retrorocket failed to ignite. The biosatellite was never recovered. Although the scientific objectives of the mission were not accomplished, the Biosatellite I experience provided technical confidence in the program because of excellent performance in most other areas.
1966 December 29 - . 12:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 459 / Agena D SS-01B 2731.
  • OPS 1584 - . Payload: Ferret 10 / Agena D 2731. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-04-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 2634 . COSPAR: 1966-118A. Apogee: 495 km (307 mi). Perigee: 487 km (302 mi). Inclination: 75.0000 deg. Period: 94.40 min.
1967 January 11 - . 10:55 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 468/D44.
  • Intelsat 2 F-2 - . Mass: 87 kg (191 lb). Nation: International. Agency: INTELSAT. Program: Intelsat. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Intelsat 2. Completed Operations Date: 1977-05-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 2639 . COSPAR: 1967-001A. Apogee: 35,808 km (22,250 mi). Perigee: 35,769 km (22,225 mi). Inclination: 1.6000 deg. Period: 1,436.20 min. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Pacific Ocean at 174 deg E in 1967-1969; over the Pacific Ocean 162-170 deg E in 1969-1970; over the Pacific Ocean 150-160 deg E in 1970-1975 As of 7 August 2001 located at 48.66 deg E drifting at 0.413 deg W per day. As of 2007 Mar 8 located at 63.48W drifting at 0.357W degrees per day.
1967 January 14 - . 21:28 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 495 / Agena D SS-01B 1629.
  • KH-4A 1038 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1038 / Agena D 1629 / OPS 1664. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-02-02 . USAF Sat Cat: 2642 . COSPAR: 1967-002A. Apogee: 355 km (220 mi). Perigee: 177 km (109 mi). Inclination: 80.1000 deg. Period: 89.80 min. Summary: KH-4A. Fair image quality..
1967 January 26 - . 17:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 472/D45.
  • ESSA 4 - . Payload: TOS B. Mass: 132 kg (291 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: TOS. USAF Sat Cat: 2657 . COSPAR: 1967-006A. Apogee: 1,440 km (890 mi). Perigee: 1,326 km (823 mi). Inclination: 102.0000 deg. Period: 113.40 min. Summary: Replaced ESSA 2. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1967 February 8 - . 08:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 2. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 2 169.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F8 - . Payload: DAPP 2418 (FTV-2) / OPS 6073. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 2669 . COSPAR: 1967-010A. Apogee: 846 km (525 mi). Perigee: 771 km (479 mi). Inclination: 99.1000 deg. Period: 101.10 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program; lower than planned orbit, but still operational..
1967 February 22 - . 22:02 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 493 / Agena D SS-01B 1635.
  • KH-4A 1039 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1039 / Agena D 1635 / OPS 4750. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-03-11 . USAF Sat Cat: 2686 . COSPAR: 1967-015A. Apogee: 380 km (230 mi). Perigee: 180 km (110 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.10 min. Summary: KH-4A. Normal KH-4 mission. Light from horizon camera on both main camera records during 1039-1..
1967 March 8 - . 16:12 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17A. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C 431/D46.
  • OSO 3 - . Payload: OSO E1. Mass: 281 kg (619 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: OSO. Decay Date: 1982-04-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 2703 . COSPAR: 1967-020A. Apogee: 570 km (350 mi). Perigee: 546 km (339 mi). Inclination: 32.8000 deg. Period: 95.80 min. Summary: Orbiting Solar Observatory. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1967 March 23 - . 01:30 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 470/D47.
  • Intelsat 2 F-3 - . Mass: 192 kg (423 lb). Nation: International. Agency: INTELSAT. Program: Intelsat. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Intelsat 2. Completed Operations Date: 1977-05-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 2717 . COSPAR: 1967-026A. Apogee: 35,899 km (22,306 mi). Perigee: 35,670 km (22,160 mi). Inclination: 12.5000 deg. Period: 1,436.00 min. Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Atlantic Ocean at 15 deg W in 1967-1971; over the Atlantic Ocean at 35 deg W in 1972; over the Atlantic Ocean at 15 deg W in 1973. As of 22 August 2001 was at 6.75 deg W drifting at 0.037 deg W per day. As of 2005 Dec 5 located at 13.34E drifting at 0.188W degrees per day. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C).
1967 March 30 - . 18:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC3W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 501 / Agena D SS-01B 1636.
  • KH-4A 1040 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1040 / Agena D 1636 / OPS 4779. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-04-17 . USAF Sat Cat: 2736 . COSPAR: 1967-029A. Apogee: 326 km (202 mi). Perigee: 167 km (103 mi). Inclination: 85.0000 deg. Period: 89.50 min. Summary: KH-4A. Satellite flown nose first, all cameras operated satisfactorily..
1967 March 31 - . 06:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Complex: Johnston Island LE1. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor DSV-2J. LV Configuration: Thor DSV-2J 168.
  • AFP-437 combat evaluation interceptor mission - . Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Apogee: 484 km (300 mi).
1967 April 20 - . 11:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E 484/D48.
  • ESSA 5 - . Payload: TOS C. Mass: 145 kg (319 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: ESSA. Program: Tiros. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: TOS. USAF Sat Cat: 2757 . COSPAR: 1967-036A. Apogee: 1,422 km (883 mi). Perigee: 1,355 km (841 mi). Inclination: 102.0000 deg. Period: 113.50 min. Summary: Replaced ESSA 3. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C)..
1967 May 9 - . 21:50 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 508 / Agena D SS-01B 1634. FAILURE: Failure of the booster cut-off switch.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • KH-4A 1041 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1041 / Agena D 1634 / OPS 4696. Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-07-13 . USAF Sat Cat: 2779 . COSPAR: 1967-043A. Apogee: 791 km (491 mi). Perigee: 183 km (113 mi). Inclination: 85.0000 deg. Period: 94.30 min. Summary: KH-4A. Due to the failure of the booster cut-off switch, the satellite went into a highly eccentric orbit. Significant image degradation..
  • OPS 1967 - . Payload: EHH B7. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. Decay Date: 1993-03-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 2780 . COSPAR: 1967-043xx. Apogee: 145 km (90 mi). Perigee: 131 km (81 mi). Inclination: 84.9000 deg. Period: 87.20 min.
  • SRV 731 - . Payload: SRV 1041-1 / OPS 1967. Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1993-03-14 . USAF Sat Cat: 2780 . COSPAR: 1967-043B. Apogee: 458 km (284 mi). Perigee: 399 km (247 mi). Inclination: 84.9000 deg. Period: 93.20 min. Summary: Radar monitoring. Due to the failure of the booster cut-off switch, the satellite went into a highly eccentric orbit..
1967 May 24 - . 14:05 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 486/D49.
  • Explorer 34 - . Payload: IMP F. Mass: 75 kg (165 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. Decay Date: 1969-05-03 . USAF Sat Cat: 2817 . COSPAR: 1967-051A. Apogee: 214,379 km (133,208 mi). Perigee: 242 km (150 mi). Inclination: 67.1000 deg. Period: 6,358.20 min. Summary: Radiation, magnetic field data. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1967 May 31 - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2 Agena D 443 / Agena D SS-01B 2704.
  • Surcal 160 - . Payload: NRL PL160 / Agena D 2704. Mass: 2.00 kg (4.40 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Surcal. USAF Sat Cat: 2825 . COSPAR: 1967-053B. Apogee: 927 km (576 mi). Perigee: 923 km (573 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 103.50 min. Summary: 20 inch dia. calibration sphere. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Calsphere 4 - . Payload: Agena D 2704 / OPS 5712. Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Calsphere. USAF Sat Cat: 2826 . COSPAR: 1967-053A. Apogee: 834 km (518 mi). Perigee: 815 km (506 mi). Inclination: 69.9000 deg. Period: 101.40 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Timation 1 - . Mass: 700 kg (1,540 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Program: Navstar. Class: Technology. Type: Navigation technology satellite. Spacecraft: Timation. USAF Sat Cat: 2847 . COSPAR: 1967-053E. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi). Perigee: 894 km (555 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 102.90 min. Summary: Navigation experiments leading eventually to Navstar/GPS system. Operated for 74 months..
  • GGSE 5 - . Payload: NRL PL154?. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Technology. Type: Gravity gradient technology satellite. Spacecraft: GGSE. USAF Sat Cat: 2834 . COSPAR: 1967-053D. Apogee: 913 km (567 mi). Perigee: 906 km (562 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Gravity gradient stabilization tests. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Calsphere 3 - . Payload: NRL PL159. Mass: 38 kg (83 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Calsphere. USAF Sat Cat: 2872 . COSPAR: 1967-053F. Apogee: 906 km (562 mi). Perigee: 900 km (550 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 103.10 min. Summary: Surveillance Calibration. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Surcal (153) - . Payload: NRL PL153 / OPS 5712. Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Surcal. USAF Sat Cat: 2874 . COSPAR: 1967-053H. Apogee: 912 km (566 mi). Perigee: 905 km (562 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 103.20 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • SURCAL 150B - . Payload: NRL PL150B. Mass: 2.00 kg (4.40 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: SURCAL. USAF Sat Cat: 2909 . COSPAR: 1967-053J. Apogee: 816 km (507 mi). Perigee: 805 km (500 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 101.10 min. Summary: 16 inch dia. calibration sphere. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • GGSE 4 - . Payload: NRL PL151?. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Technology. Type: Gravity gradient technology satellite. Spacecraft: GGSE. USAF Sat Cat: 2828 . COSPAR: 1967-053C. Apogee: 910 km (560 mi). Perigee: 903 km (561 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 103.10 min. Summary: Gravity gradient stabilization tests. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Surcal (152) - . Payload: NRL PL152 / OPS 5712. Mass: 4.00 kg (8.80 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRL. Class: Military. Type: Radar calibration target. Spacecraft: Surcal. USAF Sat Cat: 2873 . COSPAR: 1967-053G. Apogee: 910 km (560 mi). Perigee: 902 km (560 mi). Inclination: 70.0000 deg. Period: 103.10 min. Summary: Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1967 June 16 - . 21:35 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 509 / Agena D SS-01B 1633.
  • KH-4A 1042 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1042 / Agena D 1633 / OPS 3559. Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-07-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 2850 . COSPAR: 1967-062A. Apogee: 380 km (230 mi). Perigee: 169 km (105 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 90.00 min. Summary: KH-4A. Small out-of-focus area in forward camera of 1042-1..
  • OPS 1873 - . Payload: EHH B8. Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: SSF. Decay Date: 1968-10-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 2851 . COSPAR: 1967-062xx. Apogee: 197 km (122 mi). Perigee: 182 km (113 mi). Inclination: 80.2000 deg. Period: 88.30 min.
  • SRV 725 - . Payload: SRV 1042-1 / OPS 1873. Mass: 60 kg (132 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1968-10-22 . USAF Sat Cat: 2851 . COSPAR: 1967-062B. Apogee: 517 km (321 mi). Perigee: 501 km (311 mi). Inclination: 80.2000 deg. Period: 94.80 min. Summary: Radar monitoring..
1967 June 29 - . 21:01 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 2. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 2 171.
  • SECOR 9 - . Payload: EGRS 9. Mass: 20 kg (44 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USA ACE. Class: Earth. Type: Geodetic satellite. Spacecraft: SECOR. USAF Sat Cat: 2861 . COSPAR: 1967-065A. Apogee: 3,940 km (2,440 mi). Perigee: 3,803 km (2,363 mi). Inclination: 90.2000 deg. Period: 172.10 min. Summary: Location survey. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
  • Aurora 1 - . Payload: Aurora (P 67-1). Mass: 21 kg (46 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USN. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: Aurora. USAF Sat Cat: 2876 . COSPAR: 1967-065B. Apogee: 3,937 km (2,446 mi). Perigee: 3,808 km (2,366 mi). Inclination: 90.2000 deg. Period: 172.10 min. Summary: Investigated aurora borealis. Space craft engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A). .
1967 July 19 - . 14:19 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 488/D50.
  • Explorer 35 - . Payload: AIMP E. Mass: 104 kg (229 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Program: Explorer. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: IMP. USAF Sat Cat: 2884 . COSPAR: 1967-070A. Apogee: 675 km (419 mi). Perigee: 484 km (300 mi). Inclination: 32.4000 deg. Period: 96.26 min. Earth magnetic tail measurements. Lunar Orbit (Selenocentric). The Westinghouse Aerospace Division, under contract to National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Goddard Space Flight Center, engaged in the system design, integration, assembly and launch support for Anchored Interplanetary Monitoring Platform Satellite, officially designated Explorer 35 by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It was launched on July 19, 1967, with the primary objectives of investigation of interplanetary plasma and the interplanetary magnetic field out to and at the lunar distance, in either a captured lunar orbit or a geocentric orbit of the earth. In the geocentric orbit, the apogee was near or beyond the lunar distance. In a lunar orbit, additional objectives included obtaining data on dust distribution, lunar gravitational field, ionosphere, magnetic field, and radiation environment around the moon. AIMP-E also studied spatial and temporal relationships of geophysical and interplanetary phenomena simultaneously being studied by several other National Aeronautics and Space Administration satellites. The investigation in the vicinity of the moon provided for measurements of the characteristics of the interplanetary dust distribution, solar and galactic cosmic rays, as well as a study of the magnetohydrodynamic wake of the earth in the interplanetary medium at the lunar distances.
1967 July 25 - . 03:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 496 / Agena D SS-01B 2732.
  • OPS 1879 - . Payload: Ferret 11 / Agena D 2732. Mass: 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; USAF. Class: Military. Type: Military naval signals reconnaisance satellite. Spacecraft: Ferret. Decay Date: 1969-06-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 2890 . COSPAR: 1967-071A. Apogee: 608 km (377 mi). Perigee: 390 km (240 mi). Inclination: 75.1000 deg. Period: 94.50 min.
1967 July 28 - . 14:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC2E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Agena D SLV-2A/D. LV Configuration: Thor SLV-2A Agena D 478 (TA8) / Agena D SS-01B 680.
  • OGO 4 - . Payload: OGO D (NASA S-50A). Mass: 634 kg (1,397 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Earth. Type: Magnetosphere satellite. Spacecraft: OGO. Decay Date: 1972-08-16 . USAF Sat Cat: 2895 . COSPAR: 1967-073A. Apogee: 885 km (549 mi). Perigee: 422 km (262 mi). Inclination: 86.0000 deg. Period: 97.80 min. OGO 4 was a large observatory instrumented with experiments designed to study the interrelationships between the aurora and airglow emissions, energetic particle activity, geomagnetic field variation, ionospheric ionization and recombination, and atmospheric heating which take place during a period of increased solar activity. After the spacecraft achieved orbit and the experiments were deployed into an operating mode, an attitude control problem occurred. This condition was corrected by ground control procedures until complete failure of the tape recording systems in mid-January 1969. At that time, due to the difficulty of maintaining attitude control without the tape recorders, the attitude control system was commanded off, and the spacecraft was placed into a spin-stabilized mode about the axis which was previously maintained vertically. In this mode, seven of the remaining experiments were turned off since no meaningful data could be observed by them. On October 23, 1969, the satellite was turned off. It was reactivated again in January 1970 for 2 months to obtain VLF observations.
1967 August 7 - . 21:44 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 510 / Agena D 1637.
  • KH-4A 1043 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1043 / Agena D 1637 / OPS 4827. Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-09-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 2910 . COSPAR: 1967-076A. Apogee: 346 km (214 mi). Perigee: 174 km (108 mi). Inclination: 79.9000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-4A. Forward camera film came out of the rails on pass 230D. Film degraded past this point..
1967 August 23 - . 04:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 2. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 2 266.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F9 - . Payload: DAPP 3419 (FTV-4) / OPS 7202. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 2920 . COSPAR: 1967-080A. Apogee: 873 km (542 mi). Perigee: 818 km (508 mi). Inclination: 98.9000 deg. Period: 101.90 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1967 September 7 - . 22:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta G. LV Configuration: Thor Delta G 475/D51.
  • Biosatellite 2 - . Payload: Biosat 2. Mass: 507 kg (1,117 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Ames. Class: Biology. Type: Biology satellite. Spacecraft: Biosatellite. Decay Date: 1967-09-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 2935 . COSPAR: 1967-083A. Apogee: 318 km (197 mi). Perigee: 297 km (184 mi). Inclination: 33.5000 deg. Period: 90.70 min. Biological capsule recovered. The scientific payload, consisting of 13 select biology and radiation experiments, was exposed to microgravity during 45 hours of Earth-orbital flight. Experimental biology packages on the spacecraft contained a variety of specimens, including insects, frog eggs, microorganisms and plants. The planned three-day mission was recalled early because of the threat of a tropical storm in the recovery area, and because of a communication problem between the spacecraft and the tracking systems. The primary objective of the Biosatellite II mission was to determine if organisms were more, or less, sensitive to ionizing radiation in microgravity than on Earth. To study this question, an artificial source of radiation was supplied to a group of experiments mounted in the forward part of the spacecraft.
1967 September 15 - . 19:41 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 512 / Agena D 1641.
  • KH-4B 1101 - . Payload: KH-4B s/n 1101 / Agena D 1641 / OPS 5089. Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4B. Decay Date: 1967-10-04 . USAF Sat Cat: 2946 . COSPAR: 1967-087A. Apogee: 372 km (231 mi). Perigee: 156 km (96 mi). Inclination: 80.0000 deg. Period: 89.70 min. Summary: KH-4B. First mission of the KH-4B series. Best film to date..
1967 September 28 - . 00:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Delta E1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta E1 442/D52.
  • Intelsat 2 F-4 - . Mass: 87 kg (191 lb). Nation: International. Agency: INTELSAT. Program: Intelsat. Class: Communications. Type: Civilian communications satellite. Spacecraft: Intelsat 2. Completed Operations Date: 1977-05-01 . USAF Sat Cat: 2969 . COSPAR: 1967-094A. Apogee: 35,885 km (22,297 mi). Perigee: 35,729 km (22,200 mi). Inclination: 13.0000 deg. Period: 1,437.10 min. Spacecraft engaged in practical applications and uses of space technology such as weather or communication (US Cat C). Positioned in geosynchronous orbit over the Pacific Ocean at 176 deg E in 1967-1970; over the Pacific Ocean 166 deg W in 1971; over the Atlantic Ocean 30-42 deg W in 1972 As of 1 August 2001 located at 36.36 deg W drifting at 0.096 deg E per day. As of 2007 Mar 7 located at 168.68W drifting at 0.093W degrees per day.
1967 October 11 - . 07:57 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC10W. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Burner 2. LV Configuration: Thor Burner 2 268.
  • DMSP-Block-4A F10 - . Payload: DAPP 4417 (FTV-5) / OPS 1264. Mass: 130 kg (280 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: USAF. Program: DMSP. Class: Earth. Type: Weather satellite. Spacecraft: DMSP Block 4A. USAF Sat Cat: 2980 . COSPAR: 1967-096A. Apogee: 796 km (494 mi). Perigee: 638 km (396 mi). Inclination: 99.2000 deg. Period: 99.10 min. Summary: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program..
1967 October 18 - . 15:58 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC17B. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thor Delta C1. LV Configuration: Thor Delta C1 490/D53.
  • OSO 4 - . Payload: OSO D. Mass: 272 kg (599 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA Greenbelt. Class: Astronomy. Type: Solar astronomy satellite. Spacecraft: OSO. Decay Date: 1982-06-15 . USAF Sat Cat: 3000 . COSPAR: 1967-100A. Apogee: 555 km (344 mi). Perigee: 552 km (342 mi). Inclination: 32.9000 deg. Period: 95.70 min. Summary: Extreme UV solar observations. Spacecraft engaged in research and exploration of the upper atmosphere or outer space (US Cat B). .
1967 November 2 - . 21:31 GMT - . Launch Site: Vandenberg. Launch Complex: Vandenberg SLC1E. LV Family: Delta. Launch Vehicle: Thorad Agena D SLV-2G. LV Configuration: Thorad SLV-2G Agena D 513 / Agena D 1639.
  • KH-4A 1044 - . Payload: KH-4A s/n 1044 / OPS 0562. Mass: 2,000 kg (4,400 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NRO; CIA. Class: Surveillance. Type: Military surveillance satellite. Spacecraft: KH-4A. Decay Date: 1967-12-02 . USAF Sat Cat: 3024 . COSPAR: 1967-109A. Apogee: 410 km (250 mi). Perigee: 184 km (114 mi). Inclination: 81.5000 deg. Per