 | |
| Mission type | Optical reconnaissance |
|---|---|
| Operator | US Air Force / NRO |
| Harvard designation | 1960-Theta 1 |
| COSPAR ID | 1960-008A |
| SATCAT no. | S00048 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | CORONA KH-1 |
| Bus | Agena-A |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| Launch mass | 772 kilograms (1,702 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 10 Aug 1960 20:37:54 GMT |
| Rocket | Thor DM-21 Agena-A (Thor 231) |
| Launch site | Vandenberg LC 75-3-5 |
| End of mission | |
| Decay date | 14 Nov |
| Landing date | 11 Aug |
| Landing site | Pacific Ocean 610 kilometres (380 mi) NNW of Honolulu |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.03101 |
| Perigee altitude | 258 kilometers (160 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 683 kilometers (424 mi) |
| Inclination | 82.850° |
| Period | 94.04 minutes |
| Epoch | 10 Aug 1960 20:38:00 |
Discoverer 13 was an American optical reconnaissance satellite launched on 10 Aug 1960 at 20:37:54 GMT. The last of five test flights of the Corona KH-1 spy satellite series, it was the first fully successful flight in the Discoverer series. On 11 Aug, after 17 orbits, the satellite's reentry capsule was recovered in the Pacific Ocean by the Haiti Victory. Its payload, an American flag, was presented to President Eisenhower four days later.