Discoverer 28
Discoverer 28, also known as Corona 9021, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the last KH-2 Corona' satellite, which was based on an Agena-B.[1]
| 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 | 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 4 August 1961, 00:01 UTC |
| Rocket | Thor DM-21 Agena-B 309 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg LC-75-1-1 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned |
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The launch of Discoverer 28 occurred at 00:01 UTC on 4 August 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-1-1 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.[2] It failed to achieve orbit after the Agena's guidance and control system malfunctioned.[3][4]
Discoverer 28 was to have operated in a low Earth orbit. The satellite had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,540 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] Images were to have been recorded onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried by Discoverer 28 was SRV-512.[5]
References
- Krebs, Gunter. "KH-2 Corona". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- Pike, John (9 September 2000). "KH-2 Corona". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
- "Corona". Mission and Spacecraft Library. NASA. Archived from the original on 3 October 2007. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- Wade, Mark. "KH-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2010.