Thor-Able-Star
| Status | Retired |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Manufacturer | Douglas |
| Number of orbital launches | 19 |
| First launch | 1960-04-13 |
| Last launch | 1965-08-13 |
Launches by year:
Launches:
| Launch date | Launch site | Rocket / Variant | Payload | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965-08-13 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit-O 5 (NNS 30050) / Dodecapole 2 / Long Rod / Tempsat 1 / Surcal 5 / Calsphere 2 | success | |
| 1965-06-24 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit-O 4 (NNS 30040) | success | |
| 1965-03-11 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit-O 3 (NNS 30030) / SECOR 2 (EGRS 2) | pfailure | |
| 1964-12-13 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit-O 2 (NNS 30020) / Transit 5E-5 | success | |
| 1964-10-06 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit-O 1 (NNS 30010) / Dragsphere 1 / Dragsphere 2 | success | |
| 1964-04-21 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit 5BN-3 / Transit 5E-2 | failure | |
The launch demonstrated the danger of combining radioactive materials with 1960s rocketry. An upper stage guidance issue left Ablestar with insufficient velocity to make orbit. The upper stage and its payload were destroyed on reentry near Madagascar, spreading about a kilogram (2.2 lb) of plutonium-238 into the upper atmosphere. | |||||
| 1963-12-05 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit 5BN-2 / Transit 5E-3 | success | |
| 1963-09-28 | Vandenberg | Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II | Transit 5BN-1 / Transit 5E-1 | success | |
| 1962-10-31 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | ANNA 1B | success | |
| 1962-05-10 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | ANNA 1A | failure | |
Able-Star failed to ignite. | |||||
| 1962-01-24 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | LOFTI 2 / SECOR (1) (EGRS (1)) / Poppy 1 (Solrad 4A) / Injun 2 / Surcal 1 | failure | |
| 1961-11-15 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 4B / TRAAC | success | |
| 1961-06-29 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 4A / Injun 1 / Grab 2 (Solrad 3) | pfailure | |
| 1961-02-22 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 3B / LOFTI 1 | pfailure | |
| 1960-11-30 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 3A / Grab (2) (Solrad 2) | failure | |
| 1960-10-04 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Courier 1B | success | |
| 1960-08-18 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Courier 1A | failure | |
Exploded 2.5 minutes after launch. | |||||
| 1960-06-22 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 2A / Grab 1 (Solrad 1) | success | |
| 1960-04-13 | Cape Canaveral | Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar | Transit 1B / Solrad-Dummy | success | |
Variants:
(This section is under construction)Thor-Able-Star Thor DM-21A Ablestar (Thor Epsilon)
| First launch | 1960-04-13 |
|---|---|
| Stages | 2 |
| Boosters | 0 |
| Mass | 53 t |
| Height | 29 m |
Payload capacity:
| LEO | 150 kg to 1,100 km / 90 deg |
|---|
Used a restartable upper stage, Ablestar, wider than the Able and used an AJ10-104 engine. This could be shut down and then restarted in space after a coast of up to 20 minutes, allowing the rocket to achieve a more precise orbit.
Thor-Able-Star Thor DSV-2A Ablestar II
| First launch | 1963-09-28 |
|---|
Identified in some documents as the DSV-6