Name: Explorer 23 — Scout X-4
Start: 1964-11-06T12:02:01Z
End: 1964-11-06T12:02:01Z
Location: Launch Area 3

Question 1

What rocket is launching Explorer 23?

Accepted Answer

Explorer 23 is launching on the Scout X-4.

Question 2

Who is launching Explorer 23?

Accepted Answer

Explorer 23 is being launched by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, a government launch provider founded in 1958.

Question 3

Where is Explorer 23 launching from?

Accepted Answer

Explorer 23 is launching from Launch Area 3 at Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA.

Question 4

What orbit is Explorer 23 heading to?

Accepted Answer

Explorer 23 is heading to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Question 5

Is the Scout X-4 reusable?

Accepted Answer

No — the Scout X-4 is an expendable launch vehicle.

Question 6

How many times has the Scout X-4 flown?

Accepted Answer

The Scout X-4 has launched 12 times to date, with 11 successful flights.

Question 7

What is the Explorer 23 mission?

Accepted Answer

The Explorer 23 or S 55c micrometeoroid satellite was the third in the series of S 55 micrometeoroid satellites orbited by NASA.

Question 8

Where is NASA's Wallops Flight Facility?

Accepted Answer

Wallops Flight Facility is NASA's own launch range on Virginia's Eastern Shore, operating since 1945 and managed through Goddard Space Flight Center. It also hosts the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS).

Question 9

What launches from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

Wallops flies NASA's long-running sounding-rocket programme alongside orbital launches: Northrop Grumman's Cygnus cargo missions to the ISS on the Antares rocket from Pad 0A, Minotaur vehicles from Pad 0B, and Rocket Lab's Electron from Launch Complex 2.

Question 10

Can you watch a launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The NASA Wallops Visitor Center is the designated public viewing area and posts information for each flight. Nearby Chincoteague and the Assateague seashore also give open-horizon views across the water.

Question 11

What was the first orbital launch from Wallops?

Accepted Answer

The first orbital launch from Wallops was TacSat-2, on an Orbital Sciences Minotaur in December 2006. Wallops later launched LADEE, the first deep-space mission to fly from Virginia, in 2013.

Explorer 23

Overview

Mission details

Launch Window

Launch Area 3

Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Frequently asked questions