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List of Thor-Agena launches

{{short description|None}}

{{Use American English|date=August 2021}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

Image:Thor Agena B with Discoverer 37 on launch pad (Jan. 13 1962).jpg, ready to launch the Discoverer 37 (KH-3) spacecraft, on 13 January 1962]]

Thor DM-18 Agena or just Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The launch vehicles used the Douglas-built Thor first stage and the Lockheed-built Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Delta, which founded the Delta launch vehicle family. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was on 28 February 1959. The first successful launch was on 13 April 1959, launching Discoverer 2. It was the first two-stage rocket to place a satellite into orbit.{{cite web|title=Thor Agena A|url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/thoragenaa.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227211853/http://astronautix.com/t/thoragenaa.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2016|access-date=2021-08-10|website=astronautix.com}}{{cite web|title=Thor Agena B|url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/thoragenab.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227214053/http://astronautix.com/t/thoragenab.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 December 2016|access-date=2021-08-10|website=astronautix.com}}

Launch statistics

{| style="width:100%;"

| style="width:50%;" |

= Launch outcome =

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar chart

| float = center

| width = 500

| height = 350

| stack = 1

| group 1 = 4:7:11:16:1:0:1

| group 2 = 4:4:6:1:0:0:0

| group 3 = 0:0:0:1:0:0:0

| colors = Green : Red : Orange

| group names = Success : Failure : Partial failure

| x legends = 1959 : 1960 : 1961 : 1962 : 1963 : 1964 : 1965

| y tick marks = 5

}}

| style="width:50%;" |

= Launchpad =

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar chart

| float = center

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| height = 350

| stack = 1

| group 1 = 5:5:8:10:0:0:0

| group 2 = 3:6:5:6:1:0:0

| group 3 = 0:0:4:2:0:0:1

| colors = Green : Red : Purple

| group names = VAFB LC-75-3-4 : VAFB LC-75-3-5 : VAFB LC-75-1-1

| x legends = 1959 : 1960 : 1961 : 1962 : 1963 : 1964 : 1965

| y tick marks = 5

}}

|-

| style="width:50%;" |

= Orbit =

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar chart

| float = center

| width = 500

| height = 350

| stack = 1

| group 1 = 8:7:17:18:1:0:0

| group 2 = 0:0:0:0:0:0:1

| colors = Green : Red

| group names = LEO : MEO

| x legends = 1959 : 1960 : 1961 : 1962 : 1963 : 1964 : 1965

| y tick marks = 5

}}

| style="width:50%;" |

= Function =

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar chart

| float = center

| width = 500

| height = 350

| stack = 1

| group 1 = 8:10:16:16:0:0:0

| group 2 = 0:1:1:2:1:0:0

| group 3 = 0:0:1:1:0:0:0

| group 4 = 0:0:0:2:1:0:0

| group 5 = 0:0:0:1:0:0:1

| colors = Green : Red : Purple : Black : Blue

| group names = Reconnaissance : Technology : Amateur radio : ELINT : Ionospheric

| x legends = 1959 : 1960 : 1961 : 1962 : 1963 : 1964 : 1965

| y tick marks = 6

}}

|}

Launch history

class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0"

|+The data in this table comes from {{cite web|title=Thor Agena|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau/thor_agena.htm|access-date=2021-08-03|publisher=Gunter's Space Page}}{{cite web|title=Thor-DM18 Agena-A|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/thor-dm18_agena-a.htm|access-date=2021-08-03|publisher=Gunter's Space Page}}{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1960-010A|title=Discoverer-14 1960-010A|publisher=NASA|date=14 May 2020|access-date=4 August 2021}} {{PD-notice}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QpUPAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA12|title=TRW Space Log|date=August 4, 1960|publisher=TRW Systems Group|pages=10–12|via=Google Books}}{{cite web|title=Thor-DM21 Agena-B |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/thor-dm21_agena-b.htm|access-date=2021-08-04|publisher=Gunter's Space Page}}{{Cite web|title=Thor-DM21 Agena-D|url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_lau_det/thor-dm21_agena-d.htm|access-date=2021-08-20|website=Gunter's Space Page|language=en}}

Date/Time
(UTC)

! Rocket

! S/N

! Launch Site

! Payload

! Function

! Orbit

! Outcome

! Remarks

28 February 1959
21:49:16

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 163
Agena 1022

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 1

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Maiden flight of Thor-Agena A. Agena telemetry lost at T+730 seconds. Fate of the payload unknown, but generally presumed to have impacted somewhere in Antarctica.

13 April 1959
21:18:39

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 170
Agena 1018

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 2

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1959-06-03
20:09:20

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 174
Agena 1020

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 3

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena attitude control malfunction pointed the stage in the wrong direction, sending it into the Pacific Ocean rather than orbit.

1959-06-25
22:47:45

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 179
Agena 1023

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 4

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena developed insufficient thrust to attain orbital velocity.

1959-08-13
19:00:08

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 192
Agena 1029

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 5

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1959-08-19
19:24:44

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 200
Agena 1028

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 6

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1959-11-07
20:28:41

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 206
Agena 1051

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 7

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1959-11-20
19:25:24

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 212
Agena 1050

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 8

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Orbit too eccentric for use of return capsule

1960-02-04
18:51:45

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 218
{{nowrap|Agena 1052}}

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 9

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Premature Thor cutoff. Agena could not attain orbital velocity.

1960-02-19
20:15:14

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 223
Agena 1054

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 10

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Thor flight control malfunction. RSO T+52 seconds.

1960-04-15
20:30:37

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 234
Agena 1055

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 11

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1960-06-29
22:00:44

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 160
Agena 1053

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 12

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena attitude control malfunction.

1960-08-10
20:37:54

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 231
Agena 1057

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 13

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

| First successful recovery of a manmade object from orbit.

1960-08-18
19:57:08

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 237
Agena 1056

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 14

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1960-09-13
22:14

| Thor DM-18 Agena-A

| Thor 246
Agena 1058

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 15

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1960-10-26
20:26

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 253
Agena 1061

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 16

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Maiden flight of Thor-Agena B. Agena staging failed. Vehicle fell into the Pacific Ocean.

1960-11-12
20:43

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 297
Agena 1062

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 17

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1960-12-07
20:20:58

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 296
Agena 1103

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 18

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1960-12-20
20:32

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 258
Agena 1101

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 19

| Technology

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-02-17
20:25

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 298

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 20

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-02-18
22:58

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 261
Agena 1102

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 21

| Technology

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-03-30
20:34:43

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 300
Agena 1105

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 22

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena control failure.

1961-04-08
19:21

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 307
Agena 1106

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 23

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-06-08
21:16

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 302
Agena 1108

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 24

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena power failure

1961-06-16
23:02

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 303
Agena 1107

| VAFB, LC-75-1-1

| Discoverer 25

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-07-07
23:29:48

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 308
Agena 1109

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 26

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-07-21
22:35

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 322
Agena 1110

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 27

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Open circuit in guidance computer led to loss of control and vehicle breakup at T+60 seconds.

1961-08-04
00:01

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 309
Agena 1111

| VAFB, LC-75-1-1

| Discoverer 28

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena control system malfunctioned

1961-08-30
20:00

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 323
Agena 1112

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 29

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-09-12
19:59

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 310
Agena 1113

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 30

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-09-17
21:00

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 324
Agena 1114

| VAFB, LC-75-1-1

| Discoverer 31

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-10-13
19:22

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 328
Agena 1115

| VAFB, LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 32

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

| 100th Thor launch

1961-10-23
19:23

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 329
Agena 1116

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 33

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena hydraulics failure

1961-11-05
20:00

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 330
Agena 1117

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| Discoverer 34

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Incorrect guidance program left the satellite in a useless orbit.

1961-11-15
21:23

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 326
Agena 1118

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 35

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1961-12-12
20:40

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 325
Agena 1119

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 36
Oscar 1

| Reconnaissance
Amateur radio

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-01-13
21:41

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 327
Agena 1120

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 37

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Agena restart burn failed.

1962-02-21
18:44

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 332
Agena 2301

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| FTV 2301

| ELINT

| LEO

| {{Partial failure}}

| Upper stage failed to restart for circularization burn

1962-02-27
19:39

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 241
Agena 1123

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| Discoverer 38

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-04-18
00:54

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 331
Agena 1124

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| Discoverer 39

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-04-29
00:30:12

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 333
Agena 1125

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1125

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-05-15
19:36

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 334
Agena 1126

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| FTV 1126

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-05-30
01:00:04

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 336
Agena 1128

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| FTV 1128

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-06-02
00:31

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 335
Agena 1127

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1127
Oscar 2

| Reconnaissance
Amateur radio

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-06-18
20:20

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 343
Agena 2312

| VAFB, LC-75-3-5

| FTV 2312

| ELINT

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-06-23
00:30

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 339
Agena 1129

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1129

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-06-28
01:09

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 340
Agena 1151

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| FTV 1151

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-07-21
00:56

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 342
Agena 1130

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| FTV 1130

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-07-28
00:30

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 347
Agena 1131

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1131

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-08-02
00:17

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 344
Agena 1152

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| FTV 1152

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-08-29
01:00

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 349
Agena 1153

| VAFB LC-75-1-2

| FTV 1153

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-09-01
20:39

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 348
Agena 1132

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| FTV 1132

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-09-17
23:46

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 350
Agena 1133

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1133
ERS-2

| Reconnaissance
Technology

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-09-29
06:05

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 341
TA-1

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| Alouette 1
TAVE

| Ionospheric research satellite
Technology

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-09-29
23:34:50

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 351
Agena 1154

| VAFB LC-75-1-2

| FTV 1154

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-10-09
18:35

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 352
Agena 1134

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1134

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-10-26
16:14

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 353
Agena 1401

| VAFB LC-75-1-2

| STARAD

| Radiation

| MEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-11-05
22:04

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 356
Agena 1136

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1136

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-11-24
22:01

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 367
Agena 1135

| VAFB LC-75-3-4

| FTV 1135

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-12-04
21:30

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 361
Agena 1155

| VAFB LC-75-1-2

| FTV 1155

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-12-13
04:07

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 365

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| NRL PL120
Injun 3
NRL PL121
SURCAL 2
Calsphere 1

| ELINT
Ionospheric
Calibration

| MEO

| {{Success}}

|

1962-12-14
21:26:07

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 368
Agena 1156

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| FTV 1156

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1963-01-07
21:09:49

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 369
Agena 1157

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| OPS 0048

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1963-01-16
21:59

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 363
Agena 2313

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| OPS 0180

| ELINT

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1963-04-01
23:01

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 376
Agena 1160

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| OPS 0720

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1963-04-26
20:13

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 372
Agena 1411

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| OPS 1008

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Failure}}

| Attitude sensor alignment error results in no Agena orbit.

1963-06-15
14:29

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 378
Agena 2353

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| FTV 1292
Solrad 6A
LOFTI 2B
Surcal 3
Radose 112

| ELINT
Radiation
Ionospheric
Calibration

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1963-07-19
00:00:10

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 388
Agena 1412

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| OPS 1266

| Reconnaissance

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1965-03-09
18:29

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 419
Agena 2701

| VAFB SLC-2W

| SECOR 3 / Dodecapole 1 / Poppy 4 / Solrad 7B / GGSE 2 / GGSE 3 / Surcal 4 / Oscar 3

| Geodesic research / Radar calibration / ELINT / ELINT / Technological test / Technological test / Technological test / Amateur radio satellite

| LEO

| {{Success}}

|

1965-09-02
20:00

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 401
Agena 1602

| VAFB LC-75-3-5

| MPRV

| Upper atmosphere and space experiments

| planned: MEO

| {{Failure}}

| High winds caused the vehicle to drift off course. RSO T+43 seconds. Debris fell on a trailer park.

1965-11-29
04:48

| Thor DM-21 Agena-B

| Thor 453
Agena 6102

| VAFB LC-75-1-1

| Alouette 2 / Explorer 31 (DME)

| Ionospheric research satellite / Ionospheric research satellite

| MEO

| {{Success}}

|

1967-05-31
09:30

| Thor DM-21 Agena-D

| Thor 443
Agena 2704

| VAFB SLC-2W

| Timation 1 / GGSE 4 / GGSE 5 / Poppy 5 / Calsphere 3 / Calsphere 4 / Surcal 152 / Surcal 153 / Surcal 150B

| Experimental navigation satellite / Technological research satellite / ELINT / Technological research satellites (x5)

| LEO

| {{Success}}

| Final flight of the original Thor-Agena series.

References

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

{{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Lists of Thor and Delta launches

Category:Lists of Thor launches

Category:Lists of rocket launches