NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

KH-7 26 (Gambit-1 26) & NRL-PL 137

Launch Time
Fri Mar 18, 1966 20:00 UTC

Rocket

Atlas-SLV3 Agena-D
Image Credit: USAF or NASA
General Dynamics
Status: Retired
Payload to LEO: 1,825 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0

Mission Details

KH-7 26 (Gambit-1 26)

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

NRL-PL 137

NRL-PL 137 was an experiment to study the high frequency radio propagation conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL).

Location

SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB, California, USA

Stats

1966

24th orbital launch attempt

Atlas-Agena

66th mission
4th mission of 1966
50th successful mission
5th consecutive successful mission