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Mercury-Redstone 1
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Status
Launch Failure
Either the launch vehicle did not reach orbit, or the payload(s) failed to separate.
Description
Mercury-Redstone 1 (MR-1) was the first Mercury-Redstone uncrewed flight test in Project Mercury and the first attempt to launch a Mercury spacecraft with the Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle. Intended to be an uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflight, it was launched on November 21, 1960 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. The launch failed in abnormal fashion: immediately after the Mercury-Redstone rocket started to move, it shut itself down and settled back on the pad, after which the capsule jettisoned its escape rocket and deployed its recovery parachutes. The failure has been referred to as the "four-inch flight", for the approximate distance traveled by the launch vehicle.
Details
Type
Test Flight
Orbit
Suborbital (Sub)
Location
Unknown
Date
Mon, Nov 21, 1960, 14:00
Rocket
Program