flown missionFailure

Little Joe | LJ-5

National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationLaunch Area 1 — Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA

Either the launch vehicle did not reach orbit, or the payload(s) failed to separate.

mission

Name
LJ-5
Type
Test Flight
Target orbit
Suborbital (Sub)

Suborbital test flight of the Mercury spacecraft, conducted as part of the U.S. Mercury program. The objective was to test a production Mercury capsule and the launch escape system during an ascent abort at maximum dynamic pressure. Sixteen seconds after liftoff, the escape rocket and the tower jettison rocket both fired prematurely. Furthermore, the booster, capsule, and escape tower failed to separate as intended. The entire stack was destroyed on impact with the Atlantic Ocean.

schedule

NET (no earlier than)
Window opens
Window closes
Last updated

vehicle & provider

Rocket
Little Joe
Family
Little Joe
Provider
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Type
Government
Country
USA

launch site

Pad
Launch Area 1
Location
Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA
Country
USA
Timezone
America/New_York