Suborbital flight with the objective of testing the Mercury spacecraft ablative heat shield. The Atlas booster section failed to jettison, leading to a lower apogee. It was nonetheless sufficient to satisfy the Mercury spacecraft team.
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. Manufactured by American aircraft manufacturing company Convair, it was derived from the SM-65D Atlas missile, and was a member of the Atlas family of rockets.
When is the Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1 launch?
What rocket is being used for Big Joe 1?
Where is the Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1 launching from?
What orbit is Big Joe 1 going to?
Who is launching Big Joe 1?
Can I watch the Atlas LV-3B | Big Joe 1 launch live?
Mission Profile
Big Joe 1 was a Atlas LV-3B mission operated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration that lifted off from Space Launch Complex 14, Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA on September 9, 1959. The flight carried its payload on a test flight mission to Suborbital. It was flown as part of the Mercury program.