Vanguard

In-active Vanguard

Lockheed Martin (LMT)

Oct. 23, 1957

Description

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.

Specifications
  • Stages
    3
  • Length
    23.0 m
  • Diameter
    1.14 m
  • Fairing Diameter
    1.14 m
  • Launch Mass
    10 T
  • Thrust
    123 kN
Family
  • Name
    Vanguard
  • Family
    Vanguard
  • Variant
  • Alias
  • Full Name
    Vanguard
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
  • Low Earth Orbit
    9 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Lockheed Martin

Commercial
None
LMT 1953

Lockheed Martin's Space Division started in the production of missiles and later ICBM's in the 1950s. Their TITAN missile system was used for 12 Gemini spacecraft and the Voyager probes. They have worked largely in collaboration with NASA on many of their probes, landers, and spacecraft, and hope to play a key role in NASA's return to the moon in 2024.

Vanguard | Vanguard III

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Sept. 18, 1959, 5:20 a.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Vanguard 3 is a scientific satellite to measure the Earth's magnetic field, solar X-ray radiation and its effects on the Earth's atmosphere and the near-Earth micrometeoroid environment.

Medium Earth Orbit
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Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
June 22, 1959, 8:16 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Vanguard is a scientific satellite to measure the Earth's magnetic field, solar X-ray radiation and its effects on the Earth's atmosphere and the near-Earth micrometeoroid environment.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
April 14, 1959, 2:49 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

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.

Low Earth Orbit
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Vanguard | Vanguard II

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Feb. 17, 1959, 3:55 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Vanguard II is an Earth orbiting satellite and the first weather satellite. It was designed to measure cloud-cover distribution over the daylight portion of its orbit for a period of 19 days and to provide information on the density of the atmosphere.

Medium Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Sept. 26, 1958, 3:38 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Vanguard was an American satellite and the fourth artificial Earth orbital satellite to be launched. It was the first satellite to have solar electric power.

Medium Earth Orbit
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Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
June 26, 1958, 5 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
May 28, 1958, 3:46 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
April 29, 1958, 2:53 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
March 17, 1958, 12:15 p.m.
Status: Launch Successful
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Feb. 5, 1958, 7:33 a.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

Vanguard | Vanguard

Lockheed Martin | USA
Cape Canaveral, FL, USA
Dec. 6, 1957, 4:44 p.m.
Status: Launch Failure
Mission:

Small satellite used to test the Vanguard three-stage launch vehicle.

Low Earth Orbit
Explore Share

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