| Category. | Statistic. |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle. | Vanguard rocket. |
| Launch date. | April 28, 1958. |
| Launch site. | Launch Complex 18A at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. |
| Ceased operations. | The rocket was unsuccessful in its attempt to place an unnamed satellite, Vanguard 2A, into orbit. There was a lost of control of the vehicle, the third stage did not separate and failed to ignite, thus failed to achieve orbit. Vanguard TV5 only reached an altitude of 550 km (340 mi), the goal was 3,840 km (2,390 mi) to orbit. |
| Owner(s). | U.S. Navy. |
| Major contractor(s). | Naval Research Laboratory. |
| Is it still in orbit. | No, it fell to Earth and was thus was destroyed. |
| Launch mass | 9.98 kg (22 lb). |
| Nationality(s). | American. |
| Satellite type. | To measure the X-ray emission from the sun and its effects on the Earth's atmosphere. |
| Links. | http://modelingmadness.com/review/misc/scifi/previews/603.htm
http://www.scalemodelnews.com/2015/09/space-technology-from-six-decades-ago.html http://www.fantastic-plastic.com/ProjectVanguardSatellitePage.htm http://www.oldmodelkits.com/index.php?detail=6676&page=3&manu=Hawk https://starshipmodeler.biz/shop/index.cfm/product/8089/project-vanguard-satellite-hawk.html http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=VAGSL5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_SLV-5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Vanguard http://www.n2yo.com/satellite/?s=5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanguard_(rocket) http://westwardleaning.com/products/vanguard-5. |
The incodent was seen as a major set back for the fledgling US space program.