Success
Vela 1A & 1B
Government/Top Secret
United States Air Force(USAF)Government
Atlas LV-3 Agena D
Ellipticalorbit
The Vela (meaning "watchman" in Spanish) series of spacecraft were designed to monitor worldwide compliance with the 1963 nuclear test ban treaty.
Thursday, October 17, 1963 at 2:37 AM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#274
USAF Mission
#165
Pad Launch
#1
Location Launch
#103
Designator
1963-039
Launch Window
NET
Oct 17, 1963, 2:37 AM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Timezone
America/New_York
Local Launch Time
Oct 16, 1963, 10:37 PM
Total Launches
1,109
Total Landings
75
Coordinates
28.4889, -80.5778
Atlas LV-3 Agena D Specs
The Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was launched 109 times between 1960 and 1978.
Length
36 m
Diameter
3 m
Launch Mass
155 t
Thrust
1,340 kN
LEO Capacity
1,000 kg
GEO Capacity
700 kg
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1963
Fastest Turnaround
8d 16h
Total Launches
15
Successful
15
Failed
0
Consecutive Success
15
Maiden flight: Jul 12, 1963
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal Corps, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces in 1947 with the enactment of the National Security Act of 1947.
Founded
1947
Administrator
Commander-in-Chief: President of the US
Total Launches
1,078
Successful
972
Failed
106
Pending
0
Consecutive Success
68