1963-003A
Program 102 was redesignated 698BK. The third Ferret mission - Mission 7153 - entered a slightly higher, 500 km circular orbit. It was the first to use the more advanced Agena D stage, according to the McDonnell Douglas Thor launch list and the RAE tables, but the launch photo shows Agena and adapter paint markings characteristic of Agena B vehicles. The 1971 SAMSO launch chronology does list it as an Agena B, and the recently declassified document `Agena Flight History as of 31 Dec 1967' (SAMSO: Jun 1969) lists the vehicle as an S-01 (Agena B). Although it is possible the exterior markings of this vehicle were unique, I will prefer the assumption that the majority documentary evidence (which is not contemporary) is in error and the SAMSO document, which seems to be definitive for Agena, is correct.
The Agena may have been used as a Program 505 Nike-Zeus antisatellite target.
The Vandenberg launch report gives a predicted MECO-1 velocity corresponding to a transfer orbit with a perigee around 150 km. However, the quoted actual velocity is much lower; this is probably a typo.
| FTV 2313 | |||
| Date | Time | Event | Orbit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 Jan 16 | 2159 | Launch by Thor Agena B | V Pad 5 |
| 2201 | Thor MECO (T+2:26) | ||
| 2201 | Thor VECO (T+2:35) | ||
| 2201 | Thor sep (T+2:40) | ||
| 2202 | Agena 2313 burn (T+3:31) | ||
| 2206 | Agena 2313 cutoff (T+7:27) | 150? x 450 x 81.9 | |
| 2252 | Agena 2313 burn 2 (T+53:25) | ||
| 2252 | Agena 2313 cutoff (T+53:27) | 94.60 459 x 556 x 81.89 (VCR) | |
| 94.66 459 x 533 x 81.89 (RAE) | |||
| 1963 Jan 18 | Battery failure | ||
| 1963 May 23 | Intercepted by Nike Zeus from KMR? | ||
| 1968 Jan 2 | 0500 | 93.36 418 x 459 x 81.9 (RAE) | |
| 1968 Jun 30 | 1200 | 92.53 384 x 510 x 81.9 (RAE) | |
| 1969 Jan 9 | Reentered over S Atlantic | ||
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