Gemini 2 (GT-2) was successfully launched from Cape Kennedy on January 18, 1965, reaching a peak altitude of 171.2 km. Controlled by an automatic onboard system, the spacecraft fired its retrorockets nearly seven minutes after launch and reentered the atmosphere about 18 minutes later. It splashed down by parachute in the Atlantic Ocean, slightly short of its target, and was recovered by the U.S.S. Lake Champlain.
The mission met all objectives except testing the fuel cells, which were disabled due to a pre-launch failure. The capsule was recovered in excellent condition, with the heat shield and retrorockets performing as expected, though the cooling system temperature was found to be higher than desired.
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| A GT-2 launch cover postmarked with a Cape Canaveral machine cancel on January 19, 1965. |
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| A GT-2 launch cover from "Orbit Covers" postmarked at Cape Canaveral on January 19, 1965. |
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| A GT-2 launch cover from "SpaceCraft Swanson" postmarked at Cape Canaveral on January 19, 1965. |
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| A GT-2 recovery cover from the USS Lake Champlain featuring a red "Morris Beck" rubber-stamped cachet and a rare machine cancellation dated January 19, 1965. |
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| A GT-2 Crew Cover (Type B) from "Morris Beck" featuring a USS Lake Champlain hand cancel dated January 19, 1965. Only 25 of these printed covers exist without the printed "B" number. |
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| Two GT-2 recovery cover from the USS Lake Champlain, each bearing a red “Morris Beck” rubber-stamped cachet and a hand cancellation dated January 19, 1965. These covers feature the less common USS Lake Champlain hand-cancel variation with an “AM” time slug rather than the usual “PM”. |
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| Photo: The Gemini 2 spacecraft during recovery by the crew of the USS Lake Champlain. |
