Discoverer 33, also known as Corona 9026, was an American optical

reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...

which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the eighth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B. The launch of Discoverer 33 occurred at 19:23 UTC on 23 October 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch ended in failure after the Agena suffered a hydraulics system malfunction that led to premature main engine shutdown. Discoverer 33 was intended to have operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of , and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a

focal length The focal length of an optical system is a measure of how strongly the system converges or diverges light; it is the inverse of the system's optical power. A positive focal length indicates that a system converges light, while a negative foca ...

of , which had a maximum resolution of . It would have recorded images onto film, and returned this in a

Satellite Recovery Vehicle A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...

at the end of its mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried by Discoverer 33 was SRV-553.

References

Spacecraft launched in 1961 Satellite launch failures {{US-spacecraft-stub