# Canonical recap data for Explorer 1 Satellite Launch (1958)
# Source: https://recap.at/1958/explorer-1-launch
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: explorer-1-launch
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1958/explorer-1-launch"
title: Explorer 1 Satellite Launch
subtitle: America's first successful satellite revealed the existence of the Van Allen radiation belts and reasserted U.S. credibility in the Space Race after Soviet early victories.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1958-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1958
decade: 1950
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: Explorer S-1, also known as NASA S-1 or Explorer 7X, was a NASA Earth science satellite equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to study the environment around the Earth. The spacecraft and its Juno II launch vehicle were destroyed five seconds after launch on 16 July 1959, in a spectacular launch failure cause
summaryLong: Explorer S-1, also known as NASA S-1 or Explorer 7X, was a NASA Earth science satellite equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to study the environment around the Earth. The spacecraft and its Juno II launch vehicle were destroyed five seconds after launch on 16 July 1959, in a spectacular launch failure caused by complications with the launch vehicle's power supply. A relaunch of the mission in October 1959, Explorer 7 (S-1A), was successful.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/61/Juno_II_AM-16_%283%29.jpg/1280px-Juno_II_AM-16_%283%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Explorer S-1 (satellite)"
importance: 74
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_S-1_(satellite)"
  title: Explorer S-1 (satellite)
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
- launch
metaDescription: Explorer S-1, also known as NASA S-1 or Explorer 7X, was a NASA Earth science satellite equipped with a suite of scientific instruments to study the environment
wikidataQid: Q4530612
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260113174722/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_S-1_(satellite)"
  capturedAt: 2026-01-13
  label: Explorer S-1 (satellite)
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explorer_S-1_(satellite)"
