On this day in space! Aug. 11, 1960: 1st object successfully recovered from orbit
On August 11, 1960, the U.S. successfully recovered the Discoverer 13 satellite capsule from orbit, marking a major milestone in space exploration. This mission, part of a CIA spy program, proved that objects could be safely returned to Earth from space.
Why it matters
This event established the foundational technology for modern spaceflight, including the recovery of rocket stages and crewed spacecraft.
On Aug. 11, 1960, part of the Discoverer 13 satellite became the first human-made object to be recovered from Earth's orbit.
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Click for next article Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter On Aug. 11, 1960, part of the Discoverer 13 satellite became the first human-made object to be recovered from Earth's orbit.
The United States Department of Defense launched the mission as part of the C.I.A.'s Corona spy satellite program. They wanted to see if they could return a satellite's instrument package to Earth safely and gently enough to retrieve the object intact.
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