National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationLaunch Successful
Mercury-Atlas 9
Atlas LV-3B
Historical mission record
This page records Atlas LV-3B | Mercury-Atlas 9 and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.
Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.
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Mission status
Launch Successful
Status reported by the mission data provider.
LAUNCH SITECape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Mission
Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final manned spaceflight of the United States' Mercury program. It carried the Faith 7 spacecraft with astronaut Gordon Cooper to orbit where it completed 22 orbits seconds before reentry. The mission lasted for, 34 hours, 19 minutes & 49 seconds. This was the last time an American was launched to space on a solo orbital mission. The mission had several technical problems, the biggest which was a short-circuit in the bus bar serving the 250 volt main inverter causing the automatic stabilization and control system to stop working during the 21st orbit. In the end Cooper had to use lines he had drawn on the window and his wristwatch to correctly execute burns to safely re-enter the atmosphere.
- Launch vehicle
- Atlas LV-3B
- Mission type
- Human Exploration
- Destination orbit
- Low Earth Orbit
- Spacecraft
- Mercury No.20
- Destination
- Low Earth Orbit
- Launch pad
- Space Launch Complex 14
- Provider
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Programs
- Mercury
The people behind the mission
Meet the crew
Assignments reported in this mission's source record.
Launch, onboard and landing crews can differ.
Launch crew
Mercury No.20
Landing crew (1)Mercury No.20
The vehicle
Published configuration and flight history.
Launch vehicle
Atlas LV-3B
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
- Height
- 28.7 m
- Diameter
- 3 m
- Stages
- 1
- Recorded launches
- 10
- First flight
- 1960-07-29
Recorded timing
This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.
Instantaneous windowPublished target
SCHEDULED MOMENT
A single scheduled moment. The schedule may change before launch.
Launch site & orbit
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
The mission in perspective
Launch site & orbit
Explore the launch pad, then pull back to see the shape of the destination orbit.
Understand this orbit
Coverage & sources
Links supplied by the mission data provider.
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Mission coverage
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Further reading
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