Success
Discoverer 2
Government/Top Secret
United States Air Force(USAF)Government
Thor Agena A
POorbit
Discoverer II successfully reached orbit and took photos of Earth. However, when the capsule with the data was ejected in order to re-enter the atmosphere there was a timer malfunction meaning it seperated too early and landed over the North Pole rather than the intended target of Hawaii. The capsule was never recovered.
Monday, April 13, 1959 at 9:18 PM
Mission details
Orbital Attempt
#36
USAF Mission
#2
Pad Launch
#2
Location Launch
#2
Designator
1959-003
Launch Window
NET
Apr 13, 1959, 9:18 PM
Schedule Changes
1 update
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Vandenberg Space Force Base is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from the Western Range, and also performs missile testing. The United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 30 serves as the host delta for the base, equivalent to an Air Force air base wing. In addition to its military space launch mission, Vandenberg Space Force Base also hosts space launches for civil and commercial space entities, such as NASA and SpaceX.
Timezone
America/Los_Angeles
Local Launch Time
Apr 13, 1959, 1:18 PM
Total Launches
885
Total Landings
34
Coordinates
34.7513, -120.5202
Thor Agena A Specs
Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The rockets used Thor first stages and Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family.
Length
28 m
Diameter
2.44 m
Launch Mass
53 t
Thrust
667 kN
LEO Capacity
250 kg
Launch Cost
$11M
Reusable
No
Maiden Flight
1959
Fastest Turnaround
6d
Total Launches
15
Successful
9
Failed
6
Consecutive Success
3
Maiden flight: Jan 21, 1959
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