KH-7 1 (Gambit-1 1)

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

20:45:59

Friday July 12, 1963

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Launch Notes

First launch of the Atlas-LV3 Agena-D.

KH-7 1 (Gambit-1 1)

Wiki

KH-7 (Keyhole 7) managed by NRO's Program A and operated this US Air Force system boasted long focal length cameras capable of identifying and measuring properties of targets such as missiles and aircraft, surpassing the resolution of the CORONA system. The spacecraft, a 3-axis-stabilized satellite separated from the Agena-D, housed the payload, camera system, and reentry vehicle (SRV), known as the OCV (Orbital Control Vehicle), built by General Electric. The KH-7 camera featured a 112 cm diameter primary mirror and achieved ground resolutions ranging from 0.61 m to 0.91 m, utilizing strip exposure techniques for capturing images with a swath width of 22 km and strip lengths of up to 741 km from its 167-kilometer orbit.

Low Earth Orbit

Rocket

Retired
Atlas-LV3 Agena-D

Active 1963 to 1965


Stages

2

Launch Site

SLC-4W

Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Fastest Turnaround

15 days 1 hour

Stats

Atlas-Agena


27th

Mission

3rd

Mission of 1963

1963


37th

Orbital launch attempt