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Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 2A
United States Air ForceLaunch Successful

Transit 2A

Thor DM-21 Ablestar

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Historical mission record

This page records Thor DM-21 Ablestar | Transit 2A 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

The Transit system was the first satellite navigation system to be used operationally. The system was primarily used by the U.S. Navy to provide accurate location information to its Polaris ballistic missile submarines, and it was also used as a navigation system by the Navy's surface ships, as well as for hydrographic survey and geodetic surveying.

Launch vehicle
Thor DM-21 Ablestar
Mission type
Navigation
Destination orbit
Polar Orbit
Launch pad
Space Launch Complex 17B
Provider
United States Air Force

The vehicle

Published configuration and flight history.

Thor DM-21 Ablestar
Launch vehicle

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.

Height
29 m
Diameter
1.44 m
Stages
2
Recorded launches
19
First flight
1960-04-13

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

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NASA Blue Marble map of Earth's continents and oceans
Representative orbit · accelerated illustrationNo live tracking or simulated ascent. NASA Blue Marble.

Coverage & sources

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