| Mission type | Optical reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | US Air Force/NRO |
| Mission duration | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | KH-3 Corona‴ |
| Bus | Agena-B |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| Launch mass | 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 January 1962, 21:41 UTC |
| Rocket | Thor DM-21 Agena-B 327 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg LC-75-3-4 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Epoch | Planned |
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Discoverer 37, also known as Corona 9030, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1962. It was the last KH-3 Corona‴ satellite, which was based on an Agena-B rocket.[1]
The launch of Discoverer 37 occurred at 21:41 UTC on 13 January 1962. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base;[2] however, it failed to achieve orbit.[3]
Discoverer 37 was intended to be operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of 1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb),[4] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 centimetres (24 in), which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 metres (25 ft).[5] Images were to have been recorded onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle at the end of the mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle which was to have been used by Discoverer 37 was SRV-571.[4]
