Mission type Optical reconnaissance Harvard designation 1961 Alpha Zeta 1 Spacecraft type KH-3 Corona''' Bus RM-81 Agena Decay date 3 December 1961 | Operator US Air Force/NRO Mission duration 1 day Launch date 15 November 1961 Manufacturer Lockheed Corporation | |
Launch mass 2,100 kilograms (4,600 lb) People also search for Discoverer 34, Discoverer 24 | ||
Discoverer 35, also known as Corona 9028, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona''' satellite, based on an Agena-B.
The launch of Discoverer 35 occurred at 21:23 UTC on 15 November 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Alpha Zeta 1.
Discoverer 35 was operated in a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 233 kilometres (145 mi), an apogee of 247 kilometres (153 mi), 81.6 degrees of inclination, and a period of 89.3 minutes. The satellite had a mass of 2,100 kilograms (4,600 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 just over a day after launch. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle used by Discoverer 35 was SRV-523. The SRV was successfully recovered. Apart from the presence of some emulsion on the images it returned, Discoverer 35 completed its mission successfully. It subsequently remained in orbit until it decayed on 3 December 1961.