Vanguard

American 1950s small-lift satellite rocket

America's planned answer to Sputnik exploded two seconds off the pad on 6 December 1957 — live on television — earning nicknames like "Kaputnik" in the press. The programme recovered: Vanguard 1 reached orbit in March 1958 and is still up there today, the oldest human-made object in space.

Service1957–1959

1957·first flight◇1958·peak (6 launches)●1959·last flight

launches: 11
success · 3/11: 27%

Full Launch History


Sep 18, 195905:20:07 UTC	Vanguard SLV-7 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Success
Jun 22, 195920:16:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard SLV-6 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Apr 14, 195902:49:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard SLV-5 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Feb 17, 195915:55:00 UTC	Vanguard SLV-4 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Success
Sep 26, 195815:38:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard SLV-3 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Jun 26, 195805:00:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard SLV-2 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
May 27, 195803:46:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard SLV-1 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Apr 29, 195802:53:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard TV5 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Mar 17, 195812:15:41 UTC	Vanguard TV4 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Success
Feb 5, 195800:00:00 UTCFailure	Vanguard TV3 Backup USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure
Dec 6, 195716:44:34 UTCFailure	Vanguard TV3 USA•Vanguard	-	Vanguard	Failure