Thorad-Agena

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Fact sheet
Thorad-Agena
The last Thorad Agena SLV-2G with four Poppy spacecraft
Function	Expendable launch system
Manufacturer	Douglas
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	SLV-2G: 32.9m (107.9 ft) SLV-2H: 34m (111 ft)
Diameter	2.44m (8 ft)
Mass	SLV-2G: 91,400kg (201,500 lb) SLV-2H: 88,731kg (195,618 lb)
Stages	2
Launch History
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Vandenberg AFB, SLC-1, SLC-2E, SLC-3W
Total launches	43 (30 SLV-2G, 13 SLV-2H)
Successes	40 (28 SLV-2G, 12 SLV-2H)
Failures	2 (1 SLV-2G, 1 SLV-2H)
Partial failures	1 (SLV-2G)
Maiden flight	SLV-2G: 9 August 1966 SLV-2H: 5 June 1969
Last flight	SLV-2G: 14 December 1971 SLV-2H:25 May 1972

See also: Thor-Agena

The Thorad-Agena was an American expendable launch system, derived from the Thor and Delta rockets. The first stage of the rocket was the stretched variant of the Thor which had been developed for the Delta programme. The second stage was the Agena-D, which had already been used in conjunction with the standard configuration Thor, as the Thor-Agena. Three Castor rockets would be used as boosters. Forty-three were launched between 1966 and 1972, of which two failed, and one delivered its satellite into an incorrect, but still usable orbit. Most launches carried Corona (KeyHole) Reconnaissance satellites, particuarly spacecraft of the the KH-4 series, however some scientific and technology development satellites were also flown, mostly towards the end of the programme.

The Thorad-Agena was flown in two different configurations, the SLV-2G, and the SLV-2H. These differed in that the SLV-2G used Castor 1 strap-on boosters, whereas the 2H used Castor 2s.

[edit] Launch History

Date/Time (GMT)	Configuration	Serial Number		Launch pad	Payload	Outcome	Remarks
Date/Time (GMT)	Configuration	Thor	Agena	Launch pad	Payload	Outcome	Remarks
19 August 1966, 20:46	SLV-2G	506	1631	SLC-1W	KH-4A (S/N 1036)	Successful	Maiden flight of Thorad-Agena
8 November 1966, 19:53	SLV-2G	507	1632	SLC-1W	KH-4A (S/N 1037)	Successful
9 May 1967, 21:50	SLV-2G	508	1634	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1041)/SRV S/N 731	Partial failure	Rocket failed to cut-off, resulting in incorrect, but usable orbit
16 June 1967, 21:35	SLV-2G	509	1633	SLC-1W	KH-4A (S/N 1042)/SRV S/N 725	Successful
7 August 1967, 21:44	SLV-2G	510	1637	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1043)	Successful
15 September 1967, 19:41	SLV-2G	512	1641	SLC-1W	KH-4B (S/N 1101)	Successful	First KH-4B satellite
2 November 1967, 21:31	SLV-2G	513	1639	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1044)/SRV S/N 733	Successful
9 December 1967, 22:26	SLV-2G	514	1642	SLC-1W	KH-4B (S/N 1102)	Successful
24 January 1968, 22:26	SLV-2G	516	1640	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1045)/SRV S/N 741	Successful
14 March 1968, 22:00	SLV-2G	518	1638	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1046)/SRV S/N 747	Successful
1 May 1968, 21:31	SLV-2G	511	1643	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1103)/SRV S/N 807	Successful
18 May 1968, 08:23	SLV-2G	520	6221	SLC-2E	Nimbus B/EGRS-10	Failure	Failed to reach orbit
20 June 1968, 21:46	SLV-2G	517	1645	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1047)/SRV S/N 745	Successful
7 August 1968, 21:36	SLV-2G	522	1644	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1104)	Successful
18 September 1968, 21:32	SLV-2G	524	1647	SLC-1E	KH-4A (S/N 1048)/SRV S/N 749	Successful
5 October 1968, 11:16	SLV-2G	521	2734	SLC-1W	Ferret 13 (OPS 0964)	Successful
3 November 1968, 21:30	SLV-2G	515	1646	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1105)/SRV S/N 741	Successful
12 December 1968, 22:22	SLV-2G	527	1648	SLC-3W	KH-4A (S/N 1049)/SRV S/N 751	Successful
5 February 1969, 21:59	SLV-2G	519	1650	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1106)/SRV S/N 801R	Successful
19 March 1969, 21:38	SLV-2G	541	1651	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1150)/SRV S/N 737	Successful	Satellite later failed
14 April 1969, 07:54	SLV-2G	543	6222	SLC-2E	Nimbus 3/Secor 13	Successful
2 May 1969, 01:46	SLV-2G	544	1649	SLC-3W	KH-4A (S/N 1051)/SRV S/N 739	Successful
5 June 1969, 14:42	SLV-2H	526	6803	SLC-2E	OGO 6	Successful	Maiden flight of SLV-2H
24 July 1969, 01:30	SLV-2H	545	1652	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1107)	Successful
31 July 1969, 10:19	SLV-2G	523	2735	SLC-1W	Ferret 14 (OPS 8285)	Successful
22 September 1969, 21:11	SLV-2G	531	1653	SLC-3W	KH-4A (S/N 1052)/SRV S/N 743R	Successful
30 September 1969, 13:40	SLV-2G	525	Unknown	SLC-1W	EHH B-17 (OPS 1807), Surcal (x5), Timation 2, Tempsat 2, SOICAL (x2)	Successful
4 December 1969, 21:37	SLV-2H	549	1655	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1108)	Successful
4 February 1970, 02:59	SLV-2G	534	Unknown	SLC-2E	SERT 2	Successful
4 March 1970, 22:15	SLV-2H	551	1657	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1109)/SRV S/N 819	Successful
8 April 1970, 08:17	SLV-2G	553	6223	SLC-2E	Nimbus 4/TOPO-1	Successful
20 May 1970, 21:35	SLV-2H	555	1657	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1110)	Successful
23 July 1970, 01:25	SLV-2H	556	1654	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1111)	Successful
26 August 1970, 10:01	SLV-2G	535	2736	SLC-1W	Ferret 15 (OPS 8329)	Successful
18 November 1970, 21:29	SLV-2H	552	1658	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1112)/SRV S/N 827	Successful
17 February 1971, 20:04	SLV-2H	537	1659	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1113)/SRV (x2) S/N 825/826	Failure	Lubricant leak caused engine failure 18 seconds after launch.
24 March 1971, 21:05	SLV-2H	538	1660	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1114)	Successful
16 July 1970, 21:29	SLV-2H	552	1658	SLC-1W	Ferret 16 (OPS 8373)	Successful
10 September 1971, 21:33	SLV-2H	567	1662	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1115)/SRV S/N 831	Successful
17 October 1971, 13:36	SLV-2G	570	Unknown	SLC-1W	ASTEX	Successful
14 December 1971, 21:13	SLV-2G	568	Unknown	SLC-1W	Poppy (OPS 7898) (x4)	Successful	Final flight of SLV-2G
19 April 1972, 21:43	SLV-2H	569	1661	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1116)	Successful
25 May 1972, 18:41	SLV-2H	571	1663	SLC-3W	KH-4B (S/N 1117)	Successful	Final flight of Thorad-Agena Last Corona spacecraft