n October 1961, the first Atlas-Centaur (Vehicle Flight-1: Atlas 104D and Centaur F-1) arrived at Cape Canaveral and was set up at the newly constructed LC-36A. However, technical issues delayed the vehicle's launch for seven months, with the most significant problem being the leakage of liquid hydrogen through the intermediate bulkhead separating the propellant tanks, along with several other issues affecting the guidance and propulsion systems. The vehicle was finally launched at 2:49 PM EST (18:49 GMT) on May 8, 1962, with the aim of conducting a single burn using a partially fueled Centaur. Just under a minute into the launch, the Centaur stage ruptured and disintegrated, causing the Atlas to follow suit within seconds. The failure was attributed to an insulation panel that detached from the Centaur during ascent, causing a surge in tank pressure when the liquid hydrogen (LH2) overheated.
(Reference from
Atlas-Centaur)
