VANGUARD SATELLITE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28573, 30 April 1958, Page 13

VANGUARD SATELLITE

Failure To Orbit (N.Z. Press. Association —Copyright) (Rec. 9 p.m.) WASHINGTON, April 29. Dr. John Hagen, chief of the United States Navy’s Vanguard satellite programme, said last night after the programme’s latest failure that his team of rocket scientists would go “right at it” in another attempt to launch a 20-inch sphere into orbit. Dr. Hagen made the statement tp reporters as he left the United States Naval Research Station where he had kept in touch by telephone with developments at the missile test centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, from where last night’s attempt to launch the United States fourth satellite was made. The attempt failed when the Vanguard rocket’s third stage misfired and plunged into the ocean 1500 miles from the launching site. Asked when Navy scientists would try again, he said he could not give any definite timetable, “but we will go right at it.” Dr. Hagen said the scientists would not know exactly what happened to the third stage until they had studied their telemetering data. “It was a great disappointment,” he said. In spite of the lack of details, the United Press said there were strong indications that the rocket had reached the orbital height of about 300 miles, but the third stage had failed to fire and provide the additional thrust necessary to put the satellite into orbit.