Thor family
Thor DM-21 Ablestar
The Thor-Ablestar, or Thor Able-Star, also known as Thor-Epsilon was an early American expendable launch system consisting of a PGM-17 Thor missile, with an Ablestar upper stage. It was a member of the Thor family of rockets, and was derived from the Thor-Able.
Flights flown19
Success rate68.4%13/19
Payload to LEO150kg
Maiden flight1960-04-13
Peak year19605 flights
Thor DM-21 Ablestar is built by United States Air Force of the United States. It first flew on 13 April 1960 and last flew on 13 August 1965.
Flight record
68.4% success rate13 of 19 flown · 6 failed
1960peak 1960 · 5 flights1965
First flight1960-04-13
Latest flight1965-08-13
Failures6
Consecutive successes5
Fastest turnaround46d 21h
Payload
| Low Earth orbit | 150kg |
|---|
Vehicle
| Stages | 2 |
|---|---|
| Length | 29m |
| Diameter | 1.44m |
| Launch mass | 51t |
| Liftoff thrust | 760kN |
| Maiden flight | 1960-04-13 |
| Reusable | No |
Pads used
Orbits delivered
Polar Orbit11Low Earth Orbit5
Launch history
| Date | Mission | Pad | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-08-13 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-O 5 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1965-06-24 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-O 4 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1965-03-11 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-O 3 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1964-12-13 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-O 2 & 5E-5 | Space Launch Complex 2W | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1964-10-06 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-O 1 | Space Launch Complex 2W | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1964-04-21 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-5BN 3 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Failure |
| 1963-12-05 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit-5BN 2 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1963-09-28 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 5BN-1 | Space Launch Complex 2E | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1962-10-31 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | ANNA 1B | Space Launch Complex 17A | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1962-05-10 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | ANNA 1A | Space Launch Complex 17B | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1962-01-24 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | 5 Payloads Rideshare | Space Launch Complex 17B | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1961-11-15 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 4B & TRAAC | Space Launch Complex 17B | Success | |
| 1961-06-29 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 4A & Injun-1 & Solrad 3 | Space Launch Complex 17B | Success | |
| 1961-02-22 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 3B & LOFTI-1 | Space Launch Complex 17B | Failure | |
| 1960-11-30 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 3A | Space Launch Complex 17B | Polar Orbit | Failure |
| 1960-10-04 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Courier 1B | Space Launch Complex 17B | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1960-08-18 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Courier 1A | Space Launch Complex 17B | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1960-06-22 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 2A | Space Launch Complex 17B | Polar Orbit | Success |
| 1960-04-13 | Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 1B | Space Launch Complex 17B | Polar Orbit | Success |
Specifications from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, launch records from Space Index. Derived figures are computed here; see sources and method.
Further reading: Wikipedia