1959 · United States Air Force
Discoverer 2
successThor Agena A | Discoverer 2
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.
Overview
- Date / time
- April 13, 1959 at 09:18 PM UTC
- Outcome
- success
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 1W
- Mission
- Discoverer 2
- Mission type
- Government/Top Secret
- Orbit achieved
- Polar Orbit