List of Thor and Delta launches (1957–1959)

Main article: List of Thor and Delta launches

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List of Thor and Delta launches
1957–1959 · 1960–1969 · 1970–1979 · 1980–1989 · 1990–1999 · 2000–2009 · 2010–2019 · 2020–2024

Between 1957 and 1959, there were 79 Thor missiles launched, of which 51 were successful, giving a 64.5% success rate.

Launch statistics

Rocket configurations

10 20 30 40 50 1957 '58 '59

Thor DM
Thor-Agena

Launch sites

10 20 30 40 50 1957 '58 '59

Cape Canaveral LC-17A
Cape Canaveral LC-17B
Cape Canaveral LC-18B
Vandenberg LC-75
Arguello LC-1-1 (Vandenberg SLC-3)

Launch outcomes

10 20 30 40 50 1957 '58 '59

Success
Partial Failure
Failure

1957

There were 9 Thor missiles launched in 1957. 4 of the 9 launches were successful, giving a 44.4% success rate.

Date/Time (UTC)	Rocket	S/N	Launch Site	Function	Orbit	Outcome	Remarks
1957-01-26	Thor DM-18	Thor 101	CCAFS LC-17B	Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Maiden flight of Thor, first launch from LC-17. Contaminated LOX caused loss of thrust at liftoff. Vehicle fell back onto the pad and exploded.
1957-04-20 04:33	Thor DM-18	Thor 102	CCAFS LC-17B	Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	RSO sent a mistaken destruct command at T+35 seconds due to an incorrect console readout.
1957-08-30	Thor DM-18	Thor 104	CCAFS LC-17A	Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	First launch from LC-17A. Control malfunction led to missile breakup at T+92 seconds.
1957-09-20	Thor DM-18	Thor 105	CCAFS LC-17B	Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1957-10-03 17:14	Thor DM-18	Thor 107	CCAFS LC-17A	Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Stuck valve prevented the gas generator from starting. Missile fell back onto the pad and exploded.
1957-10-11 16:33	Thor DM-18	Thor 108	CCAFS LC-17B	Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Turbopump failure at T+152 seconds. Flight considered a "partial success".
1957-10-24 16:32	Thor DM-18	Thor 109	CCAFS LC-17A	Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1957-12-07 22:11	Thor DM-18	Thor 112	CCAFS LC-17B	Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1957-12-19 20:12	Thor DM-18	Thor 113	CCAFS LC-17A	Missile test	Suborbital	Success

1958

There were 20 Thor missiles launched in 1958. 8 of the 20 launches were successful, giving a 40% success rate.

Date/Time (GMT)	Rocket	S/N	Launch Site	Payload	Function	Orbit	Outcome	Remarks
1958-01-28 20:16	Thor DM-18	Thor 114	CCAFS LC-17A		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Electrical malfunction led to control failure. RSO T+152 seconds.
1958-02-28 13:08	Thor DM-18	Thor 120	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Premature engine shutdown at T+109 seconds.
1958-04-19 13:30	Thor DM-18	Thor 121	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Missile lost thrust and fell back onto the pad, exploding. Suspected fuel line obstruction.
1958-04-24 00:10	Thor DM-18 Able	Thor 116	CCAFS LC-17A		RTV test	Suborbital	Failure	Maiden flight of Thor-Able. Turbopump failure T+146 seconds.
1958-06-04 21:17	Thor DM-18	Thor 115	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success	First launch from LC-18B
1958-06-13 15:06	Thor DM-18	Thor 122	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1958-07-10 15:06	Thor DM-18 Able	Thor 118	CCAFS LC-17A		RTV test	Suborbital	Success
1958-07-13 06:36	Thor DM-18	Thor 123	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success	Performance was normal through the boost phase, but the BECO and warhead separation signals were never received.
1958-07-23 22:13	Thor DM-18 Able	Thor 119	CCAFS LC-17A		RTV test	Suborbital	Success	Biological nose cone containing a mouse. The nose cone sank into the ocean and was not recovered.
1958-07-26 06:40	Thor DM-18	Thor 126	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	LOX valve malfunction led to loss of thrust and vehicle breakup at T+55 seconds
1958-08-06	Thor DM-18	Thor 117	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success	Final flight of Thor DM-18 missile
1958-08-17 12:18	Thor DM-18 Able-I	Thor 127	CCAFS LC-17A	Pioneer 0	Lunar orbiter	High Altitude	Failure	Maiden flight of Thor-Able I. First use of a Thor-based vehicle for an orbital launch. Turbopump failure, T+73,6 seconds.
1958-10-11 08:42:13	Thor DM-18 Able-I	Thor 130	CCAFS LC-17A	Pioneer 1	Lunar orbiter	High Altitude	Failure	Third stage underperformed
1958-11-05 08:53	Thor DM-18A	Thor 138	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Maiden flight of Thor DM-18A. Flight control failure. RSO T+45 seconds.
1958-11-08 08:42:13	Thor DM-18 Able-I	Thor 129	CCAFS LC-17A	Pioneer 2	Lunar orbiter	High Altitude	Failure	Third stage failed to ignite
1958-11-26 09:09	Thor DM-18A	Thor 140	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Partial failure	Loss of guidance system power caused the missile to overshoot its target point by 22 miles.
1958-12-06 00:41	Thor DM-18A	Thor 145	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Partial failure	LOX tank pressurization failure led to loss of thrust. Missile impacted 20 miles short of the target point.
1958-12-16 23:44:45	Thor DM-18A	Thor 151	VAFB LC-75-1-1		Missile test	Suborbital	Success	First Thor launch from Vandenberg AFB
1958-12-17 04:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 146	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1958-12-31 02:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 138	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Flight control failure. RSO T+40 seconds.

1959

There were 50 Thor missiles launched in 1959. 39 of the 50 launches were successful, giving a 78% success rate.

Date/Time (UTC)	Rocket	S/N	Launch Site	Payload	Function	Orbit	Outcome	Remarks
1959-01-23	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 128	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Failure	Thor portion of flight successful. Staging failed due to an electrical malfunction. Vehicle fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
1959-01-30 23:53	Thor DM-18A	Thor 154	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-02-28 07:58	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 131	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Success
1959-02-28 21:49:16	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 163 Agena 1022	VAFB LC-75-3-4	Discoverer 1	Reconnaissance	LEO	Failure	Maiden flight of Thor-Agena. Agena telemetry lost T+730 seconds. Fate of the payload unknown, but generally presumed to have impacted somewhere in Antarctica.
1959-03-21 06:19	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 132	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Success
1959-03-22 00:58	Thor DM-18A	Thor 158	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-03-27 04:02	Thor DM-18A	Thor 162	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-04-08 06:35	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 133	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Success
1959-04-13 21:18:39	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 170 Agena 1018	VAFB LC-75-3-4	Discoverer 2	Reconnaissance	LEO	Success
1959-04-16 20:46	Thor DM-18A	Thor 161	VAFB LC-75-2-8		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-04-23 05:30	Thor DM-18A	Thor 176	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-04-25 05:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 164	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-05-12 17:35	Thor DM-18A	Thor 187	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-05-21 06:40	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 135	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Success
1959-05-23 02:42	Thor DM-18A	Thor 184	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-06-03 20:09:20	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 174 Agena 1020	VAFB LC-75-3-4	Discoverer 3	Reconnaissance	LEO	Failure	Agena attitude control malfunction pointed the stage in the wrong direction, sending it into the Pacific Ocean rather than orbit.
1959-06-11 06:44	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 137	CCAFS LC-17A		RVX test	Suborbital	Success
1959-06-16 21:45	Thor DM-18A	Thor 191	VAFB LC-75-2-7		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Pitch and roll program failed to initiate. RSO T+50 seconds.
1959-06-25 22:47:45	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 179 Agena 1023	VAFB LC-75-3-5	Discoverer 4	Reconnaissance	LEO	Failure	Agena developed insufficient thrust to attain orbital velocity.
1959-06-26	Thor DM-18A	Thor 198	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-06-30 02:37	Thor DM-18A	Thor 194	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-07-21 07:33	Thor DM-18A	Thor 203	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Pitch and roll program failed to initiate. RSO T+40 seconds.
1959-07-24 12:47	Thor DM-18A	Thor 202	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-08-03 21:41	Thor DM-18A	Thor 175	VAFB LC-75-1-1		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-08-06 02:48	Thor DM-18A	Thor 208	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-08-07 14:24:20	Thor DM-18 Able-III	Thor 134	CCAFS LC-17A	Explorer 6	Radiation	HEO	Success
1959-08-13 19:00:08	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 192 Agena 1029	VAFB LC-75-3-4	Discoverer 5	Reconnaissance	LEO	Success
1959-08-14 09:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 204	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-08-14 19:36:04	Thor DM-18A	Thor 190	VAFB LC-75-2-6		Missile test	Suborbital	Partial failure	Premature propellant depletion. Planned range not achieved.
1959-08-19 19:24:44	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 200 Agena 1028	VAFB LC-75-3-5	Discoverer 6	Reconnaissance	LEO	Success
1959-08-27 12:30	Thor DM-18A	Thor 216	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-09-12	Thor DM-18A	Thor 217	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-09-17 14:34	Thor DM-18 Able-II	Thor 136	CCAFS LC-17A	Transit 1A	Navigation	LEO	Failure	Third stage malfunctioned
1959-09-17 21:09	Thor DM-18A	Thor 228	VAFB LC-75-1-2		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-09-22 18:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 222	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-10-06 16:41	Thor DM-18A	Thor 235	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-10-06 18:26	Thor DM-18A	Thor 239	VAFB LC-75-2-8		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-10-14 04:15	Thor DM-18A	Thor 221	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-10-21 22:57	Thor DM-18A	Thor 220	VAFB LC-75-1-1		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-10-29 02:12	Thor DM-18A	Thor 230	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-11-03	Thor DM-18A	Thor 238	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-11-07 20:28:41	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 206 Agena 1051	VAFB LC-75-3-4	Discoverer 7	Reconnaissance	LEO	Success
1959-11-12 19:24	Thor DM-18A	Thor 181	VAFB LC-75-1-2		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-11-19	Thor DM-18A	Thor 244	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-11-20 19:25:24	Thor DM-18 Agena-A	Thor 212 Agena 1050	VAFB LC-75-3-5	Discoverer 8	Reconnaissance	LEO	Failure	Orbit too eccentric for use of return capsule
1959-12-01 17:00	Thor DM-18A	Thor 254	CCAFS LC-18B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success
1959-12-02 05:29	Thor DM-18A	Thor 265	VAFB LC-75-1-1		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure
1959-12-15 02:14	Thor DM-18A	Thor 185	VAFB LC-75-1-2		Missile test	Suborbital	Failure	Flight control failure. Missile broke up T+60 seconds.
1959-12-17	Thor DM-18A	Thor 255	CCAFS LC-17B		Missile test	Suborbital	Success

Images

Thor 127
Thor 130
Thor 129
Thor 134
Thor 136

Canaveral	(S)LC-17 LC-18B SLC-37B
Johnston	LE-1 LE-2
Tanegashima	Osaki
Vandenberg	SLC-1 SLC-2 SLC-3 SLC-6 SLC-10
Bases	Bardney Breighton Caistor Carnaby Catfoss Coleby Grange Driffield Feltwell Folkingham Full Sutton Harrington Hemswell Ludford Magna Melton Mowbray Mepal North Luffenham North Pickenham Polebrook Shepherds Grove Tuddenham

Components

Boosters

First stages

Common Booster Core

Upper Stages

Delta	Delta-A Delta-D Delta-E Delta-F Delta-K Delta-P DCSS
Other	Able Ablestar Agena Altair Burner FW-4D IABS PAM-D Star UM-129

Engines

Manufacturers

Rocket	Douglas McDonnell Douglas Boeing United Launch Alliance
Engines	Aerojet Alliant Rocketdyne Thiokol TRW

Launches

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