KH-1 CORONA
Missions
On the basis of photography from Discoverer XIV, the missile gap theory of 1959-60 was debunked (owing to CORONA's exceptional sensitivity, however, this information was shared on a very strict basis). In an election year (1960) the missile gap became a grave political issue. < 18 >
| KH Designator | KH-1 |
|---|---|
| System | CORONA |
| Successful Mission Numbers | 9009 |
| Period of Operations | June 1959-September 1960 |
| Amount of Film (ft) | 3,548 |
| No. of Primary Camera Frames | 1,432 |
The following table gives a listing of all missions organized according to mission number order. The statement "mission failed" is made under the mission description for missions that failed to acquire imagery.
| KH-1 Mission | Date Launched | Short Mission Description |
|---|---|---|
| 9001 | 25-Jun-59 | Mission failed. Failed to achieve orbit. |
| 9002 | 13-Aug-59 | Mission failed. Power supply failure. No recovery. |
| 9003 | 19-Aug-59 | Mission failed. Retro rockets malfunctioned negating recovery |
| 9004 | 7-Nov-59 | Mission failed. Failed to achieve orbit. |
| 9005 | 20-Nov-59 | Mission failed. Eccentric orbit negating recovery. |
| 9006 | 4-Feb-60 | Mission failed. Failed to achieve orbit. |
| 9007 | 19-Feb-60 | Mission failed. Destroyed just after launch due to erratic attitude. |
| 9008 | 15-Apr-60 | Mission failed. Attitude control system malfunctioned. |
| 9009 | 18-Aug-60 | *First successful mission. Cameras operated satisfactorily. |
| 9010 | 13-Sep-60 | Mission failed. Attained orbit successfully. Capsule sank prior to retrieval. |
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
