Transit 1B, the first U.S. Navy Transit navigation satellite to reach orbit, launched on a Thor DM-21 Ablestar from Cape Canaveral; first Ablestar flight and first in-space engine restart, demonstrating Doppler-based positioning for Polaris submarines.
- Outcome
- Success
- Orbit
- PO
- Polar orbit
- Payload to orbit
- 123 kg
- Flight
- 1st
- of 19 Thor DM-21 Ablestar flights
- Date and time
- 13 April 1960, 12:02 UTC
- Rocket
- Thor DM-21 Ablestar
- Builder
- McDonnell Douglas
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
- Payload
- Navigation
- International designator
- 1960-003
- Launches in 1960
- 7th of 38
See it in orbit
Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.
Object pages on Space Atlas: Transit 1B
View satellites in Space Atlas