Status
Success
Rocket
Mission Details
Explorer 3
Explorer 3 was launched in conjunction with the International Geophysical Year (IGY) by the U.S. Army (Ordnance) into an eccentric orbit. The objective of this spacecraft was a continuation of experiments started with Explorer 1. The payload consisted of a cosmic ray counter (a Geiger-Müller tube), and a micrometeorite detector (a wire grid array and acoustic detector). The Explorer 3 spacecraft was spin-stabilized and had an onboard tape recorder to provide a complete radiation history for each orbit.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 14.0 kg
Medium Earth Orbit
Location
LC-5, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
1958
5th orbital launch attempt
Juno I
3rd mission
3rd mission of 1958
2nd successful mission
1st consecutive successful mission