Vanguard 1, the first Solar-Powered Satellite [and the Oldest Human-Made Object Still in Orbit] was Launched on March 17, 1958 Contact online >>
Vanguard 1, the first Solar-Powered Satellite [and the Oldest Human-Made Object Still in Orbit] was Launched on March 17, 1958
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NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1958-002B
Vanguard 1 (1958 Beta 2) was a small Earth-orbiting satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis. It was the second satellite launched by the U.S., the first successful satellite of the Vanguard series, and the first satellite to use solar cell power. It is the oldest satellite still orbiting the Earth.
A cylindrical separation device kept the sphere attached to the third stage prior to deployment. At deployment a strap holding the satellite in place released and three leaf springs separated the satellite from the cylinder and third stage at a relative velocity of about 0.3 m/s.
Vanguard was the designation used for both the launch vehicle and the satellite. The first stage of the three-stage Vanguard Test vehicle was powered by a GE X-405 28,000 pound (~125,000 N) thrust liquid rocket engine, propelled by 7200 kg of kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen, with helium pressurant. It also held 152 kg of hydrogen peroxide. It was finless, 13.4 m (44 ft.) tall, 1.14 m (45 in.) in diameter, and had a launch mass of approximately 8090 kg (17,800 lbs. wt.).
The second stage was a 5.8 m (19 ft.) high, 0.8 m (31.5 in.) diameter Aerojet-General AJ-10 liquid engine burning 1520 kg (3350 lbs) Unsymmetrical Dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and White Inhibited Fuming Nitric Acid (WIFNA) with a helium pressurant tank. It produced a thrust of 7340 pounds (~32,600 N) and had a launch mass of approximately 1990 kg (4390 lbs. wt.). This stage contained the complete guidance and control system.
A solid-propellant rocket with 2350 pounds (~ 10,400 N) of thrust (for 30 seconds burn time) was developed by the Grand Central Rocket Co. to satisfy third-stage requirements. The stage was 1.5 m (60 in.) high, 0.8 m (31.5 in.) in diameter, and had a launch mass of 194 kg (428 lbs.). The thin (0.076 cm, 0.03 in.) steel casing for the third stage had a hemispherical forward dome with a shaft at the center to support the satellite and an aft dome fairing into a steel exit nozzle.
The total height of the vehicle with the satellite fairing was about 21.9 meters (72 feet). The payload capacity was 11.3 kg (25 lbs.) to a 555 km (345 mi.) Earth orbit. A nominal launch would have the first stage firing for 144 seconds, bringing the rocket to an altitude of 58 km (36 mi), followed by the second stage burn of 120 seconds to 480 km (300 mi), whereupon the third stage would bring the satellite to orbit. This was the same launch vehicle configuration, with minor modifications, as used for Vanguard TV-3 and all succeeding Vanguard flights up to and including Vanguard SLV-6.
Launch Date: 1958-03-17Launch Vehicle: VanguardLaunch Site: Cape Canaveral, United StatesMass: 1.46 kg
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Dr. David R. Williams
This image shows the Vanguard TV-3 satellite, displayed at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The TV-3 launch, on 06 December 1957, failed and the Vanguard satellite was thrown clear. The aerials were bent and other damage occurred when it hit the ground, so it could not be re-flown, but the satellite was identical to the Vanguard 1.
Vanguard, a History - NASA document SP-4202 online
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One of the Vanguard satellites is checked out at Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1958. Vanguard 1, the world’s first solar-powered satellite, launched on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) 1958. It was designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. Vanguard 1 was the second U.S. satellite in orbit, following Explorer 1, and remains the oldest artificial object orbiting Earth to this day. Vanguard began as a program at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington and transferred over to NASA (along with many of its personnel) after the agency was founded by the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958.
Image Credit: NASA
The US accelerated both programs and first attempted to launch a tiny 6-inch 3-pound satellite on a test flight. On December 6, the Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 (TV3) rose about 4 feet into the air, but the main engine lost thrust and the rocket fell back onto the pad, exploding in a huge fireball. The press called the failed attempt "Flopnik" and "Kaputnik," in reference to its successful Soviet counterpart. The Vanguard satellite was thrown free of the explosion and recovered, although because of the damage it could not be repaired for another launch attempt. It is currently on display at the Smithsonian Institution''s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.
The Vanguard launch failure and the inefficiency of different organizations competing for scarce resources to develop space capabilities contributed to the US government establishing a single civilian space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in 1958. The Vanguard program eventually achieved success on March 17, placing Vanguard 1, essentially identical to its hapless predecessor, into orbit. Contributing to the IGY, Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite, determined that the Earth is not a perfect sphere but is somewhat asymmetrical in what has been described as pear-shaped. Although contact with it was lost in 1964, Vanguard 1 remains the oldest artificial satellite in Earth orbit.
For more on space history, see https://
Status: Operational 1957. First Launch: 1957-12-06. Last Launch: 1958-04-29. Number: 4 . Gross mass: 1.00 kg (2.20 lb).
NASA NSSDC Master Catalog Description
Vanguard TV3 was the first U.S. attempt to launch a satellite into orbit around the Earth. It was a small satellite designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle and study the effects of the environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was to be used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit analysis.
At launch the booster ignited and began to rise but about 2 seconds after liftoff, after rising about four feet, the rocket lost thrust and began to settle back down to the launch pad. As it settled against the launch pad the fuel tanks ruptured and exploded, destroying the rocket and severely damaging the launch pad. The Vanguard satellite was thrown clear and landed on the ground a short distance away with its transmitters still sending out a beacon signal. The satellite was damaged, however, and could not be reused. It is now on display at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
The exact cause of the accident was never determined, presumably it was due to a fuel leak between the fuel tank and the rocket engine, possibly due to a loose connection in a fuel line or low fuel tank pressure allowing some of the burning fuel in the thrust chamber to leak back into the fuel tank.
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