Atlas LV3 Agena A

Mission Profile

The Atlas LV3 Agena A was a two-stage American launch vehicle in the Atlas family, pairing an Atlas LV-3 first stage with the first-generation Agena A upper stage for early reconnaissance satellite deployment. Standing 28.7 m tall with a 3.1 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 120 tonnes, it generated 1,880 kN of liftoff thrust. First flying in February 1960, the Atlas LV3 Agena A launched the pioneering Discoverer/Corona reconnaissance satellites that gave the United States its first photographic intelligence from orbit.