Gemini 1

Gemini 1

Launch of Gemini 1
Mission type	Flight test
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1964-018A
SATCAT no.	00782
Mission duration	Flight test: 4 hours, 50 minutes Launch to rentry: 4 days, 4 hours
Distance travelled	2,789,864 km (1,733,541 mi; 1,506,406 nmi)
Orbits completed	63
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Gemini SC1
Manufacturer	McDonnell
Launch mass	3,187 kg (7,026 lb) 5,170 kg (11,400 lb) with 2nd stage
Start of mission
Launch date	April 8, 1964, 16:00:01 (1964-04-08UTC16:00:01Z) UTC (11:00:01 am EST)
Rocket	Titan II GLV, s/n 62-12556
Launch site	Cape Kennedy, LC-19
End of mission
Disposal	Uncontrolled reentry
Decay date	April 12, 1964, 21:00:00 (1964-04-12UTC22Z) UTC
Landing site	Middle of South Atlantic Ocean
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	155 km (96 mi; 84 nmi)
Apogee altitude	271 km (168 mi; 146 nmi)
Inclination	32.5°
Period	88.76 minutes
Epoch	April 10, 1964[1]
Project Gemini Gemini 2 →

Gemini 1 was the first mission in NASA's Gemini program.^[2] An uncrewed test flight of the Gemini spacecraft, its main objectives were to test the structural integrity of the new spacecraft and modified Titan II launch vehicle. It was also the first test of the new tracking and communication systems for the Gemini program and provided training for the ground support crews for the first crewed missions.^[3]

Originally scheduled for launch in December 1963, difficulties in the development of both the spacecraft and its booster caused four months of delay. Gemini 1 was launched from Launch Complex 19 at Cape Kennedy (now Canaveral), Florida on April 8, 1964. The spacecraft stayed attached to the second stage of the rocket. The mission lasted for three orbits while test data were taken, but the spacecraft stayed in space for almost 64 orbits until its orbit decayed due to atmospheric drag. The spacecraft was not intended to be recovered, and holes were drilled through its heat shield to ensure it would not survive re-entry.