Home 1959 Spacecrafts
1958 Summary 1960 Summary
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Table of the 24 Spacecrafts Launched in 1959
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# Spacecraft Sponsor Launch Date Class Mission Type Categories
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1) Lunik I / Metcha"/ First Cosmic Rocket Soviet Union 2 Jan 59 C-Medium Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR,
-- Discoverer 0 / CORONA R&D / KH-1 prototype U.S. Air Force 21 Jan 59 M-n/a Technology USA, Fail,
2) Vanguard II NASA 17 Feb 59 C-Small
(very)		 Earth/space Sciences USA,
3) Discoverer 1 / CORONA R&D #1 / KH-1 prototype #1 U.S. DARPA 28 Feb 59 n/a Technology USA, Fail,
4) Pioneer 4 NASA / AMBA 3 Mar 59 C-Smal
(very)		 Planetary Exploration (Moon) USA,
5) Discoverer 2 / CORONA R&D #2 / KH-1 prototype #2 U.S. DARPA 13 Apr 59 M-Medium Technology USA,
6) Vanguard Magnetometer satellite NASA 14 Apr 59 C-Small
(very)		 Earth/space Sciences USA, Fail,
7) Vanguard Air density satellite NASA 14 Apr 59 C-Small
(very)		 Earth/space Sciences USA, Fail,
8) Discoverer / CORONA R&D #3 / KH-1 prototype #3 U.S. DARPA 3 Jun 59 M-Medium Technology
(Photo surveillance 
satellite prototype)		 USA, Fail,
9) "Luna" / Ye-1A #5 Soviet Union 
(Korolev's OKB-1)		 18 Jun 59 C-Medium Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR, Fail,
10) Vanguard (SLV-6) NASA 22 Jun 59 C-Small Earth/space Sciences USA, Fail,
11) Discoverer 4 / CORONA 9001 / KH-1 #1 U.S. National Reconnaissance Office 25 Jun 59 M-Medium Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
12) Explorer (S-1) NASA 16 Jul 59 C-Small Earth/space Sciences USA, Fail,
13) Explorer 6 / “The Paddlewheel Satellite” NASA 7 Aug 59 C-Small Earth/space Sciences USA,
14) Discoverer 5 / CORONA 9002 / KH-1 #2 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 13 Aug 59 M-Medium Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
15) Beacon 2 / Project Beacon NASA/U.S. Navy 15 Aug 59 C-Small
(very)		 Earth/space Sciences USA, Fail,
16) Discoverer 6 / CORONA 9003 / KH-1 #3 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 19 Aug 59 M-Medium Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
17) LunK II / Second Cosmic Rocket Soviet Union 
(Korolev's OKB-1)		 12 Sep 59 C-Medium Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR,
18) Transit 1A U.S. Navy 17 Sep 59 M-Medium Navigation (1st) USA, Fail,
19) Vanguard III NASA 18 Sep 59 C-Small Earth/Space Science USA,
Pioneer P-1 / Atlas Able V #1 NASA 24 Sep 59 n/a Planetary Exploration (Moon) USA, Fail,
20) Lunik 3 / 3rd Cosmic Rocket Soviet Union 
(Korolev's OKB-1)		 4 Oct 59 C-Medium Planetary Exploration (Moon) USSR,
21) Explorer 7 NASA 13 Oct 59 C-Small Earth/Space Science USA,
22) Discoverer 7 / CORONA 9004 / KH-1 #4 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 7 Nov 59 M-Medium Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
23) Discoverer 8 / CORONA 9005 / KH-1 #5 U.S. National Re-
connaissance Office		 20 Nov 59 M-Medium Photo Surveillance USA, Fail,
24) Pioneer P-3/ Atlas Able V #1 NASA 26 Nov 59 C-Small Planetary Exploration (Moon) USA, Fail,
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Note: Small spacecraft = less than 100 kg; medium spacecraft = less than 1,000 kg; large spacecraft = 1,000 kg and more. (Very small = less than 10 kg; very large = more than 10,000 kg.).
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Table – Summary of 1950s Launches
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No. .. Soviet
Success		 Soviet 
failures*		 No. .. American 
success**		 American 
failures***
1) Sputnik . 1) . Vanguard TV-3
2) Sputnik 2 . 2) Explorer 1 .
3) Sputnik D #1 3) . Vanguard TV-3bu
4) Sputnik 3 . 4) . Explorer 2
5) . Ye-1 #1 5) Vanguard I. .
6) . Ye-1 #2 6) Explorer 3 .
7) . Ye-1 #3 7) . Vanguard TV-5
8) Lunik I . 8) . Vanguard SLV-1
9) . Ye-1 #5 9) . Vanguard SLV-2
10) Lunid II . 10) Explorer 4 .
11) Lunik III . 11) . Able 1
12) . Explorer 5
13) . Vanguard SLV-3
14) Able 2 / Pîoneer 1 .
15) . Beacon 1
16) . Pioneer 2
17) Pioneer 3 .
18) SCORE .
19) . Discoverer 0
20) Vanguard II .
21) Disco verer 1****
22) Pioneer 4 .
23) Discoverer 2 .
24) . Vanguard SLV 5
25) . Discoverer 3
26) . Vanguard SLV-6
27) . Discoverer 4
28) . Explorer S-1
29) Explorer 6 .
30) Discoverer 5 .
31) . Beacon 2
32) Discoverer 6 .
33) . Transit 1A
34) Vanguard III .
35) Explorer 7 .
36) Discoverer 7 .
37) Discoverer 8 .
38) . Pioneer P-3
Total 6 Soviet 
launch success		 5 Soviet 
launch failures		 17½ American 
launch success		 20½ American launch 
failures (known**)
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54.5 % launch success (6 in 11) 46.0 % launch success (17½ in 38)
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* . All Soviet failures were unknown at the time; they were revealed only in the 1980s and 1990s.
** Including Able 2 and Pioneer 3 which, although they failed to reach their goal (the Moon), had provided important scientific informations.
*** Does not include the very secretive NOTS program, unknown at the time.
**** Discoverer 1 is officially reported as a launch success but it is probably a failure.
1958 Summary All Summaries 1960 Summary
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© Claude Lafleur, 2004-10, 2015 Mes sites web: claudelafleur.qc.ca
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