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Class: Technology. Nation: USA.
SpecificationTotal Mass: 5 kg.
Beacon 1 Chronology
23 October 1958
Beacon 1 Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Vehicle: Jupiter C. FAILURE: Upper stages separated prior to burnout. Structural failure after 149 sec due to vibration disturbances generated by the spinning payload. Mass: 4 kg. NASA¾with the Army as executive agent¾attempted to launch a 12-foot-diameter inflatable satellite of micro-thin plastic covered with aluminum foil known as BEACON. Launched from AMR by a Juno I¾a modified Redstone, the payload prematurely separated prior to booster burnout.
15 August 1959
Beacon 2 Launch Site: Cape Canaveral . Launch Vehicle: Juno II. FAILURE: First stage shut down too early; no attitude control for upper stages. Mass: 5 kg.
Bibliography:- 126 - Bramscher, Robert G, Spaceflight, "A Survey of Launch Vehicle Failures", 1980, Volume 22, page 351.
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Last update 12 March 2001.
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© Mark Wade, 2001 .