LAUNCH CENTER
Failure
Tue Apr 14 1959
United States Navy
Vanguard
Launch Failure
LAUNCH TIME
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RECOVERY OVERVIEW
Location
No Recovery Specified
Type
No Recovery Specified
Rocket Details
Name:
VanguardDescription:
The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first launch vehicle the United States would use to place a satellite into orbit. Instead, the Sputnik crisis caused by the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 led the U.S., after the failure of Vanguard TV3, to quickly orbit the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno I rocket, making Vanguard I the second successful U.S. orbital launch.
MISSION OVERVIEW
- Type: Earth Science
- The Vanguard satellite was a 13 inch spherical satellite which contained a precise magnetometer to map the Earth's magnetic field. The satellite was lost together with the Vanguard Balloon when the Vanguard launch vehicle second stage was damaged during staging.
COMPLEX OVERVIEW
Location
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Pad
Launch Complex 18A