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Class: Surveillance. Type: Military. Nation: USA. Agency: U.S. Air Force. Manufacturer: Lockheed. US reconnaisance satellite, lashed together to meet an emergency requirement for close-up imaging of a suspected Soviet ICBM site near Tallinn. Carried one 'E-5' panoramic camera taken from the cancelled Samos program, with a focal length of 1.67 m, and a ground resolution of 1.8 m. Ground swath was 14 km x 74 km.
SpecificationTotal Mass: 1,500 kg.
KH-6 Chronology
18 March 1963
KH-6 8001 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: TA Thor Agena D. FAILURE: Agena-D failed. No orbit. Mass: 1,500 kg. First launch of KH-6. Mission failed.
18 May 1963
KH-6 8002 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: TA Thor Agena D. Mass: 1,500 kg. Perigee: 147 km. Apogee: 506 km. Inclination: 74.5 deg. KH-6. Second launch of KH-6. Operation was successful but no film was used. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).
31 July 1963
KH 4A-07 Launch Site: Vandenberg . Launch Vehicle: TA Thor Agena D. Mass: 1,500 kg. Perigee: 152 km. Apogee: 455 km. Inclination: 74.9 deg. KH-6. Third and final KH-6 mission (LANYARD). Mission was successful but image quality was poor. Officially: Spacecraft Engaged in investigation of spaceflight techniques and technology (US Cat A).
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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