TIROS-1 (TIROS-A), the world’s first operational weather satellite, launched on a Thor Able II from Cape Canaveral; its twin TV cameras returned about 23,000 Earth cloud images over 2½ months, proving space-based meteorology.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 124 kg
- Flight
- 2nd
- of 2 Thor Able II flights
- Date and time
- 1 April 1960, 11:40 UTC
- Rocket
- Thor Able II
- Builder
- McDonnell Douglas
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
- Payload
- Earth Science
- International designator
- 1960-002
- Launches in 1960
- 6th of 38
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
Object pages on Space Atlas: TIROS 1
View satellites in Space Atlas