Discoverer 16

Discoverer 16

Mission type	Optical reconnaissance
Operator	US Air Force/NRO
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	KH-2 Corona'
Bus	Agena-B
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Launch mass	1,091 kilograms (2,405 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	26 October 1960, 20:26 UTC
Rocket	Thor DM-21 Agena-B 253
Launch site	Vandenberg LC-75-3-4
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Epoch	Planned

Discoverer 16, also known as Corona 9011, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1960. It was the first KH-2 Corona' satellite, based on an Agena-B.^[1]

The launch of Discoverer 16

The launch of Discoverer 16 occurred at 20:26 UTC on 26 October 1960. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.^[2] The Agena failed to separate from the Thor first stage, and as a result the satellite failed to achieve orbit.^[3][4]

Discoverer 16 was intended to have been operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of 1,091 kilograms (2,405 lb),^[5] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 centimetres (24 in), which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 metres (25 ft).^[4] It was to have recorded images onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, which would have been returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle aboard Discoverer 16 was SRV-506.^[5]

References

1. Krebs, Gunter. "KH-2 Corona". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
3. Pike, John (9 September 2000). "KH-2 Corona". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
4. "Corona". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
5. Wade, Mark. "KH-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 26 June 2010.