Discoverer 1 was the inaugural satellite in the CORONA reconnaissance satellite program. It was launched on a Thor-Agena A rocket on February 28, 1959, at 21:49:16 GMT from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Serving as a prototype for the KH-1 satellite, it did not carry a camera or a film capsule. Discoverer 1 aimed to achieve a polar orbit, making it the first satellite launched toward the South Pole, but ultimately failed in this endeavor.
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| Discoverer 1 launch cover from "H.Flick" postmarked at Vandenberg Air Force Base on February 28, 1959. |
The Discoverer program was overseen by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. Its primary objective was to develop a film-return photographic surveillance satellite to evaluate the Soviet Union's production of long-range bombers and ballistic missiles, as well as their deployment locations. Additionally, it aimed to photograph areas over the Sino-Soviet bloc to supplement the Lockheed U-2 spy planes. The program was part of the secret CORONA initiative, which was also utilized to create maps and charts for the Department of Defense and other U.S. government mapping efforts. At the time, the true purpose of the program was not disclosed to the public; it was framed as an effort to launch large satellites to test subsystems and explore the communication and environmental challenges of sending humans into space, including transporting biological specimens for return to Earth. A total of 38 Discoverer satellites were launched by February 1962, though the satellite reconnaissance program continued under the CORONA project until 1972. The program's documents were declassified in 1995.
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| Discoverer 1 "Goldcraft" launch cover postmarked at Lompoc on February 28, 1959. |
(Reference from
Discoverer 1)
