Orbital launch vehicle
Vanguard
The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first launch vehicle the United States would use to place a satellite into orbit. Instead, the Sputnik crisis caused by the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 led the U.S., after the failure of Vanguard TV3, to quickly orbit the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno I rocket, making Vanguard I the second successful U.S. orbital launch.
Flights flown11
Success rate27.3%3/11
Payload to LEO9kg
Maiden flight1957-10-23
Peak year19586 flights
Vanguard is built by Lockheed Martin of the United States. It first flew on 6 December 1957 and last flew on 18 September 1959.
Flight record
27.3% success rate3 of 11 flown · 8 failed
1957peak 1958 · 6 flights1959
First flight1957-12-06
Latest flight1959-09-18
Failures8
Consecutive successes1
Fastest turnaround29d 53m
Payload
| Low Earth orbit | 9kg |
|---|
Vehicle
| Stages | 3 |
|---|---|
| Length | 23m |
| Diameter | 1.14m |
| Launch mass | 10t |
| Liftoff thrust | 123kN |
| Maiden flight | 1957-10-23 |
| Reusable | No |
Pads used
Orbits delivered
Low Earth Orbit8Medium Earth Orbit3
Launch history
| Date | Mission | Pad | Orbit | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-18 | Vanguard | Vanguard III | Launch Complex 18A | Medium Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1959-06-22 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1959-04-14 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1959-02-17 | Vanguard | Vanguard II | Launch Complex 18A | Medium Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1958-09-26 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Medium Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1958-06-26 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1958-05-28 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1958-04-29 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1958-03-17 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Success |
| 1958-02-05 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
| 1957-12-06 | Vanguard | Vanguard | Launch Complex 18A | Low Earth Orbit | Failure |
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