Status
Success
KH-7 18 (Gambit-1 18)
Launch Time
Thu May 27, 1965 20:48 UTC
Thu May 27, 1965 20:48 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
KH-7 18 (Gambit-1 18)
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-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA
Stats
1965
46th orbital launch attempt
Atlas-Agena
55th mission
7th mission of 1965
41st successful mission
9th consecutive successful mission