Status
Success
Echo 2
Launch Time
Sat Jan 25, 1964 13:59 UTC
Sat Jan 25, 1964 13:59 UTC
Rocket
Mission Details
Echo 2
Echo 2 was a 41.1-meter-diameter (135 ft) balloon satellite, the last launched by Project Echo. A revised inflation system was used for the balloon, to improve its smoothness and sphericity. Echo 2's skin was rigidizable, unlike that of Echo 1A. Therefore, the balloon was capable of maintaining its shape without a constant internal pressure; a long-term supply of inflation gas was not needed, and it could easily survive strikes from micrometeoroids. The balloon was constructed from "a 0.35 mil (9 µm) thick mylar film sandwiched between two layers of 0.18 mil (4.5 µm) thick aluminum foil and bonded together."
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 66.0 kg
Location
SLC-2E (75-1-1), Vandenberg SFB, California, USA
Stats
1964
4th orbital launch attempt
Thor-Agena
85th mission
3rd mission of 1964
65th successful mission
5th consecutive successful mission