Courier 1A, a U.S. Army experimental store-and-forward communications satellite built by Philco, launched on a Thor DM-21 Ablestar from Cape Canaveral LC-17B on 18 August 1960. The vehicle exploded about 2.5 minutes after liftoff and never reached orbit.
- Outcome
- Failure
- Orbit
- LEO
- Low Earth orbit
- Payload to orbit
- Did not reach orbit
- Flight
- 3rd
- of 19 Thor DM-21 Ablestar flights
- Date and time
- 18 August 1960, 19:58 UTC
- Rocket
- Thor DM-21 Ablestar
- Builder
- McDonnell Douglas
- Launch site
- Space Launch Complex 17B, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
- Payload
- Communications
- Launches in 1960
- 20th of 38