![Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D (Nimbus 3) [NASA]](/media?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthespacedevs-prod.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fthorad-slv2g_ag_image_20251102061406.jpg&w=1600)
United States Air ForceThorad SLV-2G Agena DSpace Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Nimbus 3
Launched
April 14, 1969
Image: NASA
Summary
Nimbus 3 launched on an United States Air Force Thorad SLV-2G Agena D from Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA on April 14, 1969. It was United States Air Force's 488th launch, 14th this year and humanity's 963rd orbital launch attempt. It was the 21st Thorad SLV-2G Agena D flight and the 3rd this year. The payload was bound for Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO). Nimbus 3, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 1,093 × 1,138 km orbit inclined 99.9°. 3 objects from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them payloads.
- Watch
- No webcast on record.
- Vehicle
- Thorad SLV-2G Agena D · United States Air Force
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Earth Science · Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO)
- Milestone
- 21st Thorad SLV-2G Agena D flight · 3rd this yearUnited States Air Force's 488th launch14th this yearhumanity's 963rd orbital launch attempt44th orbital launch attempt this year
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Nimbus 3 · NORAD 3890 · 1969-037 · Space-Track · tracking 1 of 3 objects
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- NIMBUS 3
- Object ID
- 1969-037A
- Epoch
- 1969-04-14 10:45:00 UTC
- Mean motion
- 13.40182373 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0029912
- Inclination
- 99.9233°
- Ascending node
- 14.5887°
- Arg. of perigee
- 223.6423°
- Mean anomaly
- 136.223°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 2
- B*
- 0
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: SSO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
3 catalogued: 2 payloads, 1 rocket stage; 3 still in orbit
- Nimbus 3 · NORAD 3890 · in orbit
- EGRS XIII · NORAD 3891 · in orbit
Agena D 6222 · in orbit
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
Identical payload to the Nimbus-B meteorological R&D satellite which was lost due to a malfunction in the booster guidance system less than a year before. It was designed to serve as a stabilized, earth-oriented platform for the testing of advanced systems for sensing and collecting meteorological data. It was lost due to a malfunction in the booster guidance system.
Pad
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
40th launch from Space Launch Complex 2E, 2nd this year · 324th from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
47 launches from this pad · 919 from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
74 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did Nimbus 3 launch?
Nimbus 3 launched on April 14, 1969. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch Nimbus 3?
No webcast is on record for this launch.
What rocket launched Nimbus 3?
Thorad SLV-2G Agena D, flown by United States Air Force. Thorad SLV-2G Agena D spec sheet
Where did Nimbus 3 launch from?
Space Launch Complex 2E, Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
What orbit did Nimbus 3 reach?
Nimbus 3, one of 3 catalogued objects, reached a 1,093 × 1,138 km orbit inclined 99.9°.
How many satellites did Nimbus 3 launch?
2 payloads from this launch are catalogued, 2 of them still in orbit (Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org).