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1960 · United States Air Force

Transit 1B

successThor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 1B

The Transit system was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The system was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to provide accurate location information to its Polaris ballistic missile submarines, and it was also used as a navigation system by the Navy's surface ships, as well as for hydrographic survey and geodetic surveying.

Overview

Date / time
April 13, 1960 at 12:02 PM UTC
Outcome
success
Launch site
Space Launch Complex 17B
Mission
Transit 1B
Mission type
Navigation
Orbit achieved
Polar Orbit

Payloads deployed · 1