Gemini 1

Gemini 1
Launch of Gemini 1
Mission typeTest flight
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1964-018A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.782
Mission duration4 hours 50 minutes
Distance travelled1,733,541 miles (2,789,864 km)
Orbits completed63
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftGemini SC1
ManufacturerMcDonnell
Launch mass7,026 pounds (3,187 kg)
(11,400 pounds (5,170 kg) with 2nd stage)
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 8, 1964, 16:01:01.69 (1964-04-08UTC16:01:01Z) UTC
RocketTitan II GLV, s/n 62-12556
Launch siteCape Kennedy LC-19
End of mission
DisposalUncontrolled reentry
Decay dateApril 12, 1964, 15:00:00 (1964-04-12UTC16Z) UTC
Landing siteMiddle of South Atlantic Ocean
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude84 nautical miles (155 km)
Apogee altitude146 nautical miles (271 km)
Inclination32.5 degrees
Period88.76 minutes
EpochApril 10, 1964[1]

Gemini 1 was the first mission in NASA's Gemini program.[2] An uncrewed test flight of the Gemini spacecraft, its main objectives were to test the structural integrity of the new spacecraft and modified Titan II launch vehicle. It was also the first test of the new tracking and communication systems for the Gemini program and provided training for the ground support crews for the first crewed missions.[3]

Originally scheduled for launch in December 1963, difficulties in the development of both the spacecraft and its booster caused four months of delay. Gemini 1 was launched from Launch Complex 19 at Cape Kennedy (now Canaveral), Florida on April 8, 1964. The spacecraft stayed attached to the second stage of the rocket. The mission lasted for three orbits while test data were taken, but the spacecraft stayed in space for almost 64 orbits until its orbit decayed due to atmospheric drag. The spacecraft was not intended to be recovered, and holes were drilled through its heat shield to ensure it would not survive re-entry.

  1. ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "SATCAT". Jonathan's Space Pages. Retrieved March 23, 2014.
  2. ^ "Gemini 1". NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "Gemini 1". Gunter's Space Page. December 11, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2012.