| Mission type | Photographic reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | US Air Force / NRO |
| Harvard designation | 1961 Lambda 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1961-011A  |
| SATCAT no. | 00100 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | KH-5 ARGON |
| Bus | Agena-B |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| Launch mass | 1150 kg |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 8 April 1961, 19:21:08 (1961-04-08UTC19:21:08Z) GMT |
| Rocket | Thor DM-21 Agena-B (Thor 307) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg, SLC-1E Launch pad 75-3-5 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 16 April 1962 (1962-04-17) |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 294 km |
| Apogee altitude | 624 km |
| Inclination | 82.3° |
| Period | 93.77 minutes |
Discoverer 23, also known as KH-5 9016A, was a USAF photographic reconnaissance satellite under the supervision of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-5 ARGON satellite, based on an Agena-B.[1] It was the second KH-5 mission to be launched, and the second to end in failure.[2]
The launch of Discoverer 23 occurred at 19:21:08 GMT on 8 April 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from launch pad 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.[3] Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Lambda 1.
Discoverer 23 was operated in an Earth orbit, with a perigee of 294 kilometres (183 mi), an apogee of 624 kilometres (388 mi), 82.3° of inclination, and a period of 93.77 minutes.[4] The satellite had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb),[5] and was equipped with a frame camera with a focal length of 76 millimetres (3.0 in), which had a maximum resolution of 140 metres (460 ft).[6] Images were recorded onto 127 millimetres (5.0 in) film, and ejected aboard a Satellite Return Vehicle, SRV-521. Due to a problem with Discoverer 23's attitude control system, the SRV ended up boosting itself into a higher orbit rather than deorbiting.[5] Discoverer 23 decayed from orbit on 16 April 1962, followed by the SRV on 23 May 1962.[4]·[5]
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Discoverer satellites
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Payloads are separated by bullets ( · ), launches by pipes ( | ). Crewed flights are indicated in underline. Uncatalogued launch failures are listed in italics. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are denoted in (brackets). |
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