Discoverer 24
Encyclopedia
Discoverer 24, also known as Corona 9018A, was an American
area survey optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961 but failed to achieve orbit. It was a KH-5 Argon satellite, based around an Agena-B
. It was the third KH-5 to be launched.
The launch of Discoverer 24 occurred at 21:16 UTC on 8 June 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B
rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base
. The rocket suffered an electrical failure during ascent which affected its guidance system, and as a result it failed to deliver Discoverer 24 into orbit.
Discoverer 24 was to have operated in a low Earth orbit
. It had a mass of 1150 kilograms (2,535.3 lb), and was equipped with a frame camera with a focal length
of 76 millimetres (3 in), which had a maximum resolution of 140 metres (459.3 ft). Images would have been recorded onto 127 millimetres (5 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle, before the satellite ceased operations. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried aboard Discoverer 24 was SRV-541.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
area survey optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961 but failed to achieve orbit. It was a KH-5 Argon satellite, based around an Agena-B
RM-81 Agena
The RM-81 Agena was an American rocket upper stage and satellite support bus which was developed by Lockheed initially for the canceled WS-117L reconnaissance satellite program...
. It was the third KH-5 to be launched.
The launch of Discoverer 24 occurred at 21:16 UTC on 8 June 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B
Thor-Agena
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. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was in January 1959...
rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
. The rocket suffered an electrical failure during ascent which affected its guidance system, and as a result it failed to deliver Discoverer 24 into orbit.
Discoverer 24 was to have operated in a low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. It had a mass of 1150 kilograms (2,535.3 lb), and was equipped with a frame camera with a focal length
Focal length
The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light. For an optical system in air, it is the distance over which initially collimated rays are brought to a focus...
of 76 millimetres (3 in), which had a maximum resolution of 140 metres (459.3 ft). Images would have been recorded onto 127 millimetres (5 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle, before the satellite ceased operations. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried aboard Discoverer 24 was SRV-541.