Mission type Optical reconnaissance Harvard designation 1961 Omega 1 Spacecraft type KH-3 Corona''' Bus RM-81 Agena Decay date 11 December 1961 | Operator US Air Force/NRO Mission duration 2 days Launch date 12 September 1961 Manufacturer Lockheed Corporation | |
Launch mass 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb) Similar LOFTI‑1, Discoverer 18, Transit 3B | ||
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Discoverer 30, also known as Corona 9022, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona''' satellite, based on an Agena-B rocket.
The launch of Discoverer 30 occurred at 19:59 UTC on 12 September 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Omega 1.
Discoverer 30 was operated in a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 231 kilometres (144 mi), an apogee of 484 kilometres (301 mi), 82.6 degrees of inclination, and a period of 91.7 minutes. The satellite had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb), and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 centimetres (24 in), which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 metres (25 ft). Images were recorded onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle two days after launch however, like the previous mission, all of the images returned were found to be out of focus. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle used by Discoverer 30 was SRV-551. Once its images had been returned, Discoverer 30's mission was complete, and it remained in orbit until its decay on 11 December 1961.