Discoverer 33

Discoverer 33, also known as Corona 9026, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the eighth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.^[1]

Discoverer 33

Mission type	Optical reconnaissance
Operator	US Air Force/NRO
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Corona KH-2
Bus	Agena-B
Manufacturer	Lockheed
Launch mass	1,150 kilograms (2,540 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	23 October 1961, 19:23 (1961-10-23UTC19:23Z) UTC
Rocket	Thor DM-21 Agena-B 329
Launch site	Vandenberg LC-75-3-5
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Epoch	Planned
Discoverer ← Discoverer 32 Discoverer 34 → Corona KH-2 ← Corona 9021 Corona 9027 →

The launch of Discoverer 33 occurred at 19:23 UTC on 23 October 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.^[2] The launch ended in failure after the Agena suffered a hydraulics system malfunction that led to premature main engine shutdown.^[3]

Discoverer 33 was intended to have 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] It would have recorded images onto 70-millimeter (2.8 in) film, and returned this in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle at the end of its mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried by Discoverer 33 was SRV-553.