Vanguard 1
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Vanguard 1 is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to be successfully launched, following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1. It was launched 17 March 1958.
A model of Vanguard 1
The Vanguard 1 upper stage imaged on 25 April 2026 with the 40.2-cm MISO telescope of Delft University of Technology
Project Vanguard
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Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Navy's Naval Research Laboratory, which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into low Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as th
Vanguard 1
…together with the upper stage of its launch vehicle. Vanguard 1 was designed to test the launch capabilities of a three-stage launch vehicle as a part of Project Vanguard, and the effects of the space environment on a satellite and its systems in Earth orbit. It also was used to obtain geodetic measurements through orbit…
Vanguard rocket on Pad LC-18A
John P. Hagen in 1957
Vanguard rocket explodes seconds after launch at Cape Canaveral (December 6, 1957).
Vanguard TV3 in previous display at the National Air and Space Museum. The antenna rods should extend radially from the body of the satellite, but are bent as a result of damage sustained in the launch failure.