List of Thor-Ablestar launches
The Thor-Ablestar, or Thor-Able-Star, also known as Thor-Epsilon[1] was an early American expendable launch system consisting of a PGM-17 Thor missile, with an Ablestar upper stage. It was a member of the Thor family of rockets, and was derived from the Thor-Able.
Two versions were built; the Thor-Ablestar 1 (Thor-DM21 Able-Star), with a DM-21 Thor and an AJ-10-104 second stage engine, and the Thor-Ablestar 2 (Thor-DSV2A Able-Star), which had a DSV-2A Thor first stage, and an uprated AJ-10-104D engine on the second stage. Thor-Ablestar 1 launches occurred from LC-17 at Cape Canaveral, and Thor-Ablestar 2 rockets were launched from LC-75-1 at Vandenberg Space Force Base (now designated SLC-2).
Nineteen Thor-Ablestar were launched between 1960 and 1965, of which four failed, and a fifth resulted in a partial failure, as only one of two payloads separated from the upper stage.[2]
Launch history
[edit]| Date/Time
(UTC) |
S/N | Version | Launch Site | Payload | Function | Outcome | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-04-13
12:02:36 |
Thor 257
Ablestar 002 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 1B | Navigation | Success, maiden flight of Thor-Ablestar | 
|
| 1960-06-22
05:54 |
Thor 281
Ablestar 003 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 2A, GRAB-1 (Solrad 1) | Navigation, ELINT | Success | 
|
| 1960-08-18
19:58 |
Thor 262
Ablestar 004 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Courier 1A | Communications | Failure (Premature first stage cutoff. RSO T+150 seconds.) | |
| 1960-10-04
17:50 |
Thor 293
Ablestar 005 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Courier 1B | Communications | Success | 
|
| 1960-11-30
19:50 |
Thor 283
Ablestar 006 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 3A, GRAB-2 (Solrad-2) | Navigation, ELINT | Failure (Premature Thor cutoff. RSO. Debris fell in Cuba.) | 
|
| 1961-02-22
03:45 |
Thor 313
Ablestar 007 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 3B, LOFTI-1 | Navigation, Technology | Success | |
| 1961-06-29
04:22 |
Thor 315
Ablestar 008 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 4A, Injun 1, GRAB-3 (Solrad 3) | Navigation, Ionospheric, ELINT | Success | 
|
| 1961-11-15
22:26 |
Thor 305
Ablestar 009 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | Transit 4B, TRAAC | Navigation | Success, Transit Research and Attitude Control | |
| 1962-01-24
09:30 |
Thor 311
Ablestar 010 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | LOFTI-2, SECOR, GRAB-4 (Solrad 4), Injun 2, SURCAL 1 | Technology, Geodesy, ELINT, Ionospheric, Calibration | Failure (second stage insufficient thrust) | |
| 1962-05-10
12:06 |
Thor 314
Ablestar 011 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17B | ANNA 1A | Geodesy | Failure (second stage failed to ignite) | |
| 1962-10-31
08:08 |
Thor 319
Ablestar 012 |
Thor-DM21 Able-Star | CCAFS LC-17A | ANNA 1B | Geodesy | Success, final flight of Thor DM-21 Ablestar | |
| 1963-09-28 | Thor 375 | Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | Transit 5BN-1 / Transit 5E-1 | Navigation | Success | .gif){kind=spacer}
|
| 1963-05-12 | Thor 385 | Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | Transit 5BN-2 / Transit 5E-3 | Navigation | Success | |
| 1964-04-21
18:50 |
Thor 379
Ablestar 014 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | Transit 5BN-3, Transit 5E-4 | Navigation | Failure | .gif){kind=spacer}
|
| 1964-10-06
17:04:21 |
Thor 423
Ablestar 016 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-2 | OPS 5796 (Transit O-1), | Navigation | Success | 
|
| 1964-12-13
00:08:10 |
Thor 427
Ablestar 017 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-2 | OPS 6582 (Transit O-2) (Transit 5B-5), Transit 5E-5 | Navigation | Success | 
|
| 1965-03-11
13:39 |
Thor 440
Ablestar 018 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | OPS 7087 (Transit O-3), SECOR 2 | Navigation, Geodesy | Success | 
|
| 1965-06-24
22:35 |
Thor 447
Ablestar 019 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | OPS 8480 (Transit O-4) | Navigation | Success | |
| 1965-08-13
22:11 |
Thor 455
Ablestar 020 |
Thor-DSV2A Able-Star | VAFB LC-75-1-1 | OPS 8464 (Transit O-5), Dodecapole 2, Tempsat 1, Surcal 5, Long Rod 1, Calsphere 2 | Navigation, Calibration | Success, final flight of Thor-Ablestar | 
|
See also
[edit]- List of Delta 4 launches
- List of Thor and Delta launches
- List of Thor and Delta launches (1960–1969)
- List of Delta IV Heavy launches
- List of Delta IV Medium launches
- Thor-Delta
References
[edit]- ^ Krebs, Gunter. "Thor Able-Star". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Delta". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2008.