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| An Atlas B missile 12B launch cover from "Goldcraft", postmarked at Port Canaveral with a hand cancel on November 28, 1958. |
On November 28, 1958, Atlas B missile 12B was launched from Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 14 on the first successful full-range flight of the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile. The missile traveled approximately 6,325 miles (10,180 km) across the Atlantic to the South Atlantic target area, with its reentry vehicle landing close to the designated target. The successful flight demonstrated that the Atlas could achieve its intended intercontinental range and represented a major milestone in the development of the United States' first operational ICBM. The Atlas would soon acquire an important role in the emerging space program: only three weeks later, an Atlas was used to launch SCORE, the world’s first communications satellite, establishing the Atlas as an important early American space launch vehicle.
(Reference from
Atlas (rocket family))
