Thor-Able
| Status | Retired |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Manufacturer | Douglas |
| Number of orbital launches | 7 |
| First launch | 1958-08-17 |
| Last launch | 1960-04-01 |
Launches by year:
Launches:
| Launch date | Launch site | Rocket / Variant | Payload | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960-04-01 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able II | TIROS 1 | success | |
| 1960-03-11 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able IV | Pioneer 5 | B | success |
| 1959-09-17 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able II | Transit 1A | failure | |
Third stage failed. | |||||
| 1959-08-07 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able III | Explorer 6 (S-2) | success | |
| 1958-11-08 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able I | Pioneer 2 | B | failure |
Third stage ignition unsuccessful. | |||||
| 1958-10-11 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able I | Pioneer 1 | B | pfailure |
Second stage shut down 10 seconds early due to incorrect information from an accelerometer measuring incremental velocity. The launch vehicle produced insufficient velocity for the probe to escape Earth’s gravity. The probe did, however, reach an altitude of 114,750 kilometers before falling back to Earth. | |||||
| 1958-08-17 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able I | Pioneer 0 | B | failure |
First stage exploded after 77 sec, at an altitude of 15.2 kilometers, caused by a turbopump gearbox failure. | |||||
Variants:
(This section is under construction)Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able I
| First launch | 1958-08-17 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Upper stage | Altair |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 114 kg |
|---|
Thor-Able was created by mating an unarmed Thor missile with the second stage of Vanguard, the rocket developed by the Naval Research Laboratory in an attempt to orbit the first US satellite. The Vanguard second stage, powered by an Aerojet AJ10-40 engine, was renamed Able. Thor DM-18 Able I differed from the earlier Thor-Able through the addition of a small solid-fuelled third stage, the Altair, or X-248. This was to give early Pioneer probes sufficient energy to reach the Moon
Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able III
| First launch | 1959-08-07 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Upper stage | Altair |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 114 kg |
|---|
Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able II
| First launch | 1959-09-17 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 2 |
| Boosters | 0 |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 114 kg |
|---|
Used an upgraded version of Able – with an AJ10-42 engine
Thor-Able Thor DM-18 Able IV
| First launch | 1960-03-11 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 3 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Upper stage | Altair |
| Mass | 52 t |
| Height | 27.2 m |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 114 kg |
|---|