Previous Spaceflight Launches

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Vostok 8K72 | Korabl'-Sputnik-3

RKK Energiya | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Dec. 1, 1960, 7:30 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Another test of the Vostok capsule which had a successful flight into orbit but during re-entry the engine failed to cut off and burned to completion resulting in an incorrect entry trajectory. The vehicle was destroyed in order to ensure the vehicle didn't fall into enemy hands.

Low Earth Orbit
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Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 3A

United States Air Force | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 30, 1960, 7:50 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Transit 3A was a US Navy navigation satellite that was destroyed by range safety when the launch vehicle shut down too early.

Polar Orbit
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Thor Delta | Tiros 2

McDonnell Douglas | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 23, 1960, 11:13 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

A spin stabilized meteorological satellite. The second in a series of Television Infrared Observation Satellites.

Low Earth Orbit
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Redstone MRLV | Mercury-Redstone 1

Chrysler | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 21, 1960, 2 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Mercury-Redstone 1 (MR-1) was the first Mercury-Redstone uncrewed flight test in Project Mercury and the first attempt to launch a Mercury spacecraft with the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle. Intended to be an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight, it was launched on November 21, 1960 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch failed in abnormal fashion: immediately after the Mercury-Redstone rocket started to move, it shut itself down and settled back on the pad, after which the capsule jettisoned its escape rocket and deployed its recovery parachutes. The failure has been referred to as the "four-inch flight", for the approximate distance traveled by the launch vehicle.

Suborbital
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Thor DM-21 Agena-B | Discoverer 17

United States Air Force | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nov. 12, 1960, 8:42 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Discoverer 17 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite. The mission was classed as a failure. Orbit was entered successfully however the film was separated before any camera operation leaving only 0.5m of film in the capsule.

Low Earth Orbit
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Little Joe | LJ-5

North American Aviation | United States of America
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Nov. 8, 1960, 3:18 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Suborbital test flight of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The objective was to test a production Mercury capsule and the launch escape system during an ascent abort at maximum dynamic pressure. Sixteen seconds after liftoff, the escape rocket and the tower jettison rocket both fired prematurely. Furthermore, the booster, capsule, and escape tower failed to separate as intended. The entire stack was destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean.

Suborbital
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Juno II | Explorer 8

Army Ballistic Missile Agency | United States of America
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Nov. 3, 1960, 5:23 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

A research satellite intended to study a number of space phenomenon.

Medium Earth Orbit
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Thor DM-21 Agena-B | Discoverer 16

United States Air Force | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 26, 1960, 8:26 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Discoverer 16 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite. The launch failed when the Agena stage failed to seperate from Thor.

Low Earth Orbit
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Molniya 8K78 | Mars-1b

Strategic Rocket Forces | Russia
Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan
Oct. 14, 1960, 1:51 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

A Russian mars flyby probe intended to photograph Mars. The third stage failed to ignite.

Mars flyby
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Atlas Agena A | Samos 1

Convair | United States of America
Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Oct. 11, 1960, 8:33 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

A Satellite and Missile Observation satallite which failed to enter orbit due to a failure in the launch vehicle guidance system

Low Earth Orbit
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