NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

KH-7 1 (Gambit-1 1)

Launch Time
Fri Jul 12, 1963 20:45 UTC

First launch of the Atlas-LV3 Agena-D.

Rocket

Atlas-LV3 Agena-D
Image Credit: USAF or NASA
General Dynamics
Status: Retired
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0

Mission Details

KH-7 1 (Gambit-1 1)

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

Location

SLC-4W, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Stats

1963

37th orbital launch attempt

Atlas-Agena

27th mission
3rd mission of 1963
15th successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission