Compare with:
Thor-Agena
23m
Human (1.8m)
1.8m
Thor-Agena / Credits: Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons)
United StatesRetired1959–1987
Thor-Agena
Douglas Aircraft / Lockheed
Cold War workhorse that launched America's first spy satellites and dozens of early scientific missions.
Thor-Agena combined the Douglas Thor IRBM with the Lockheed Agena upper stage. It launched the Corona reconnaissance satellite program — the first operational US spy satellite system — as well as numerous scientific and military payloads. The Agena upper stage was revolutionary, featuring a restartable engine that enabled complex orbital maneuvers.
Fun facts
Launched the Corona spy satellites — declassified only in 1995 after collecting 800,000+ images of the USSR.
The Agena upper stage had a restartable engine — revolutionary in the 1960s.
Over 28 years of service, making it one of the longest-serving US launch vehicles.
Height
23 m
Diameter
2.44 m
Mass
57 t
Stages
2
Thrust
667 kN
Payload LEO
1,500 kg
Payload GTO
—
Total flights
185
Success rate86.5%
159 success2 partial24 failure
Launch pads
- LC-17, Cape Canaveral
- SLC-1, Vandenberg
No upcoming launches scheduled.
