Vanguard
· built by Lockheed Martin
· maiden flight 1957-10-23
Profile data last updated: 2026-08-29T15:37:07.354998+00:00 | 7531-10-17
The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first launch vehicle the United States would use to place a satellite into orbit. Instead, the Sputnik crisis caused by the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 led the U.S., after the failure of Vanguard TV3, to quickly orbit the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno I rocket, making Vanguard I the second successful U.S. orbital launch.
Specifications
23.0 mLength
1.14 mDiameter
10 tLaunch mass
3Stages
123 kNLiftoff thrust
Payload Capacity
9 kgTo LEO
Lifetime Launch Record
As reported by Launch Library 2 across this rocket's entire history, not just the launches tracked on this site.
11Total launches
3Successful
8Failed
0Upcoming
Launches Tracked on This Site
11In our archive
27.3%Success rate
Dec 06, 1957 16:44 UTCEarliest tracked
Sep 18, 1959 05:20 UTCMost recent
| Mission | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard | Vanguard III | Sep 18, 1959 05:20 UTC | Success |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Jun 22, 1959 20:16 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Apr 14, 1959 02:49 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard II | Feb 17, 1959 15:55 UTC | Success |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Sep 26, 1958 15:38 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Jun 26, 1958 05:00 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | May 28, 1958 03:46 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Apr 29, 1958 02:53 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Mar 17, 1958 12:15 UTC | Success |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Feb 05, 1958 07:33 UTC | Failure |
| Vanguard | Vanguard | Dec 06, 1957 16:44 UTC | Failure |