NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Explorer 4

Launch Time
Sat Jul 26, 1958 15:00 UTC

Rocket

Juno I
Image Credit: NASA
ABMA
Status: Retired
Liftoff Thrust: 416 kN
Payload to LEO: 11 kg
Stages: 4
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 21.2 m

Mission Details

Explorer 4

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.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 26.0 kg
Medium Earth Orbit

Location

LC-5, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA

Stats

1958

12th orbital launch attempt

Juno I

4th mission
4th mission of 1958
3rd successful mission
2nd consecutive successful mission