NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

KH-7 4 (Gambit-1 4)

Launch Time
Wed Dec 18, 1963 21:45 UTC

Rocket

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

Mission Details

KH-7 4 (Gambit-1 4)

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

65th orbital launch attempt

Atlas-Agena

32nd mission
8th mission of 1963
20th successful mission
6th consecutive successful mission