MISSION NAME
Nimbus 3 3
Status
Success
DATE
14 APR 1969
LAUNCH PROVIDER
United States Air Force
Launch Pad
Space Launch Complex 2E
Description
Identical payload to the Nimbus-B meteorological R&D satellite which was lost due to a malfunction in the booster guidance system less than a year before. It was designed to serve as a stabilized, earth-oriented platform for the testing of advanced systems for sensing and collecting meteorological data. It was lost due to a malfunction in the booster guidance system.
Thorad SLV-2G Agena D
Rocket Description
Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The rockets used Thor first stages and Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta rocket family.