Discoverer 1
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | US Air Force |
| Harvard designation | 1959 Beta 1 |
| SATCAT no. | 13 |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Corona Test Vehicle |
| Bus | Agena-A |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 February 1959, 21:49:16 UTC |
| Rocket | Thor DM-18 Agena-A 163 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg LC-75-3-4 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned |
Discoverer 1 was the first of a series of satellites which were part of the Corona reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena rocket on February 28, 1959 at 1:49 PST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It was a prototype of the KH-1 satellite, but did not contain either a camera or a film capsule. It was the first satellite launched toward the South Pole in an attempt to achieve polar orbit, but was unsuccessful. A CIA report, later declassified, concluded that "Today, most people believe the DISCOVERER I landed somewhere near the South Pole."
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