Explorer 4

Launch Success

Liftoff Time (GMT)

15:00:57

Saturday July 26, 1958

Watch Replay

Official Livestream

Mission Details

Explorer 4

Wiki

Explorer 4 was instrumented by Dr. James van Allen's group. The Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency had initially planned two satellites for the purposes of studying the Van Allen radiation belts and the effects of nuclear explosions upon these belts (and the Earth's magnetosphere in general), however, Explorer 4 was the only such satellite launched as the other, Explorer 5, suffered launch failure.

Medium Earth Orbit

1 Payload

26 kilograms

Rocket

Retired
Juno I

Active in 1958

Army Ballistic Missile Agency logo

Agency

ABMA

Rocket

Height: 21.2m

Payload to Orbit

LEO: 11 kg

Liftoff Thrust

416 Kilonewtons

Stages

4

Launch Site

LC-5

Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Fastest Turnaround

28 days 2 hours

Stats

Juno I


4th

Mission

4th

Mission of 1958

1958


12th

Orbital launch attempt