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A technician inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida installs a memory card containing a total of 1,350,144 names as part of a commemorative plaque on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Friday, July 17, 2026. The names, submitted by people from across the globe, including astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II and Artemis III missions, will travel with the Roman observatory to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, or L2, about one million miles from Earth, where the Sun’s and Earth’s gravity balance out. Roman is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and one of the architects of the agency’s modern science program. Photo credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya
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Kudeki High Flyer vehicle payload mounted on the launch rail on April 24, 2013. It is covered with a velostat bag and is being purged to help prevent moisture from causing a problem. The vehicle is a Terrier Oriole configuration.
EVEX team member Doug Rowland reported on April 24:
“We were able to mount the high flyer rocket for EVEX on the launch rail yesterday. Today we are expecting the technician to come to assist with the loading of the Trimethyl Aluminum (TMA) chemical canister. Once that is complete, we can load the low flyer rocket for EVEX as well. We will do a practice countdown today, and another tomorrow.”
Credit: NASA
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A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from an atoll in the Pacific this spring. The mission will help scientists better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere that can negatively affect satellite communication and global positioning signals.
The mission, called EVEX, for the Equatorial Vortex Experiment, will launch into a crucial layer of charged particles surrounding our planet. Called the ionosphere, this layer serves as the medium through which high frequency radio waves – such as those sent down to the ground by global positioning system (GPS) satellites or, indeed, any satellite communicating with Earth – travel. The ionosphere begins about 60 miles above the ground and is filled with electrons and ions, alongside the more familiar extension of our electrically neutral atmosphere. Governed by Earth’s magnetic field, high-altitude winds, and incoming material and energy from the sun, the ionosphere can be calm in certain places or times of day, and quite turbulent at others.
EVEX will launch two rockets for a twelve-minute journey through the equatorial ionosphere above the South Pacific. This area of the ionosphere is known for calm days and tempestuous evenings, times when the ionosphere becomes rippled like a funhouse mirror, disturbing radio signals, and introducing GPS errors of a half mile or more. The two rockets will measure events in two separate regions of the ionosphere to see how they work together to drive the ionosphere from placid and smooth to violently disturbed. Such information could ultimately lead to the ability to accurately forecast this important aspect of space weather.
The launch window for EVEX is from April 27 to May 10. The team will decide when to fly based on conditions in the ionosphere on any given night.
Read more at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/sounding-rockets/news/evex.html
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's EagleCam Payload Flat Sat testing performed at Intuitive Machines' Houston Headquarters.
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University's EagleCam Payload Flat Sat testing performed at Intuitive Machines' Houston Headquarters.
On June 28, Goddard hosted a Media/VIP/Employee Day to explain the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) payload onboard STS-135. The joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency is designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies, and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space. Reporters were also provided an in depth look into how Goddard has provided the communications network for voice, data and video support throughout the shuttle program.
In this photo Justin Cassidey, Project Manager, Robotic Refueling Mission, explains where the tools for the mission will be stowed when not in use.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Pat Izzo
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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S85-44835 (20 Nov. 1985) --- This flying human chain represents prime and backup payload specialists for two upcoming STS missions. The group, representing trainees for STS-61C later this year and STS-51L early next year, shared some 40 parabolas in NASA's KSC-135, "Zero-G" aircraft on Nov. 20. Left to right are Gerard Magilton, RCA backup payload specialist for STS-61C; Sharon Christa McAuliffe, payload specialist/teacher citizen observer for STS-51L; U.S. Rep. Bill Nelson (D., Florida), scheduled for 61-C; Barbara R. Morgan, backup to McAuliffe; and Robert J. Cenker, RCA payload specialist for 61-C. The photo was taken by Keith Meyers, New York Times. Photo credit: NASA
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility the solar array panel now have been attached to NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Targeted for liftoff Sept. 8, 2016, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
There is an Atlas-F rocket on display at Kennedy Space Center with a dummy Agena stage on top. In reality, almost all Atlas-Agena rockets were “Atlas-D” models.
Atlas-Agena
The Atlas-Agena was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas family of rockets, and was launched 109 times between 1960 and 1978. It was used to launch the first five Mariner unmanned probes to the planets Venus and Mars, and the Ranger and Lunar Orbiter unmanned probes to the Moon. The upper stage was also used as an unmanned orbital target vehicle for the Gemini manned spacecraft to practice rendezvous and docking. However, the launch vehicle family was originally developed for the Air Force and most of its launches were classified DoD payloads.
The Atlas-Agena was a two-and-a-half-stage rocket, with a stage-and-a-half Atlas missile as the first stage, and an RM-81 Agena second stage. Initially, Atlas D missiles, re-designated as the LV-3, were used as the first stage. These were later replaced by the standardized Atlas SLV-3, and its derivatives, the SLV-3A and B. The final Atlas-Agena launch used an Atlas E/F.
The earliest Agena variant was the Agena A in 1959-60, which did not have restart capability. Most of these were flown on Thor-Agena boosters for the Discoverer program and only four used Atlases (Midas 1, Midas 2, Samos 1, and Samos 2), two of which failed.
Late in 1960, Lockheed introduced the uprated Agena B stage which was restartable and had longer propellant tanks for more burn time. It first flew on the Thor and did not make its maiden voyage on an Atlas for months, when Midas 3 launched on July 12, 1961. Atlas-Agenas were then used for DoD and NASA programs, but proved a reliability nightmare as one failure after another happened. In late 1962, after Ranger 5 suffered another booster malfunction (albeit a minor one that ground controllers were able to work around), NASA convened a review board which undertook a wholesale reevaluation of the Atlas-Agena as a launch vehicle. The board found that quality control and checkout procedures were poor, and that this situation was exacerbated by the several dozen configurations of the booster, as each individual DoD and NASA program necessitated custom modifications to the Atlas and Agena, and the latter also differed in its Atlas and Thor variants. The board recommended improved quality control, better hardware, and also establishing one standardized launch vehicle for all space programs.
The end result was the Atlas SLV-3 and Agena D, standardized versions of the Atlas D core and Agena B which would be the same on every launch (at least as far as the Atlas was concerned, Agena Ds often still had customized setups, especially for DoD payloads). The Agena D first flew in July 1963 for DoD launches, but NASA continued using Agena Bs for the remaining Ranger missions. The Atlas SLV-3 meanwhile first flew in August 1964. Dozens of Atlas SLV-3/Agena D boosters were flown over the following years, mostly for the KH-7 Gambit program, also for a few NASA missions. The last Atlas-Agena was flown in 1978 to launch SEASAT, but on a repurposed Atlas F missile rather than the SLV-3.
Launches were conducted from Launch Complexes 12, 13 and 14 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Launch Complexes 1 and 2 at Point Arguello (now SLC-3 and 4 at Vandenberg Air Force Base).
•General Specifications
oFunction: Expendable launch system
oManufacturer: Convair; General Dynamics
oCountry of Origin: United States
•Size
oHeight: 118.0 feet (36.0 m)
oDiameter: 10.0 feet (3.0 m)
oWidth: 16.0 feet (4.9 m)
oMass: 341,000 pounds (155,000 kg)
oStages: 2½
•Capacity
oPayload to LEO: 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg)
oPayload to GEO: 1,540 pounds (700 kg)
oPayload to TLI: 850 pounds (390 kg)
oPayload to Escape: 575 pounds (261 kg)
•Launch History
oStatus: Retired
oLaunch Sites: LC-12, 13 & 14, CCAFS; SLC-3 & 4, Vandenberg
oTotal launches: 109
oSuccesses: 93
oFailures: 13
oPartial Failures: 3
oFirst Flight: February 26, 1960
oLast Flight: June 27, 1978
•Boosters
oNo. Boosters: 1
oWidth: 16.0 feet (4.9 m)
oEngines: 2
oThrust: 233,000 pounds-force (1,040 kN)
oBurn Time: 134 seconds
oFuel: RP-1/LOX
•First Stage
oDiameter: 10.0 feet (3.0 m)
oEngines: 1
oThrust: 67,000 pounds-force (300 kN)
oBurn Time: 5 minutes
oFuel: RP-1/LOX
•Second Stage – Agena D
oLength: 248 inches (6.3 m)
oDiameter: 5.0 feet (1.5 m)
oEngines: 1 Bell Aerospace 8247
oThrust: 16,000 pounds-force (71 kN)
oBurn Time: 265 seconds
oFuel: UDMH/IRFNA
Variants
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-A
oFirst Launch: 1960-02-26
oLast Launch: 1961-01-31
oLaunches: 4
oSuccesses: 2
oFailures: 2
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Early Atlas-Agena variant flown four times for the Midas and Samos programs
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-B
oFirst Launch: 1961-07-12
oLast Launch: 1965-03-21
oLaunches: 28
oSuccesses: 21
oFailures: 5
oPartial Failures: 2
oRemarks: Enhanced, restartable Agena. Used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Ranger, Mariner, Samos, and Midas.
•Atlas LV-3 Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1963-07-12
oLast Launch: 1965-07-20
oLaunches: 15
oSuccesses: 15
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Standardized Agena B used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Ranger, Mariner, Midas, and Gambit.
•Atlas SLV-3 Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1964-08-14
oLast Launch: 1967-11-05
oLaunches: 47
oSuccesses: 41
oFailures: 5
oPartial Failures: 1
oRemarks: Standardized SLV-3 Atlas+Agena D used for a variety of NASA and Air Force programs, including Mariner, Vela, and Gambit.
•Atlas SLV-3B Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1966-04-08
oLast Launch: 1966-04-08
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant used for the first OAO satellite.
•Atlas SLV-3 Agena-B
oFirst Launch: 1966-06-07
oLast Launch: 1966-06-07
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant used for OAO-3
•Atlas SLV-3A Agena-D
oFirst Launch: 1968-03-04
oLast Launch: 1978-04-08
oLaunches: 12
oSuccesses: 11
oFailures: 1
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: Extended tank Atlas. Used for OGO-5 and Canyon/Rhyolite SIGNIT satellites.
•Atlas E/F Agena D
oFirst Launch: 1978-06-27
oLast Launch: 1978-06-27
oLaunches: 1
oSuccesses: 1
oFailures: 0
oPartial Failures: 0
oRemarks: One-off Atlas variant mating the last Agena stage flown to a refurbished Atlas F missile for the launch of Seasat.
Destruct System
All Atlas-Agena vehicles contained an Inadvertent Separation Destruct System to destroy the Agena in the event that it separated prematurely from the Atlas, a situation that could be caused by a booster hard-over or if the Atlas self-destructed in flight. The ISDS charges were mounted on the adapter section between the two vehicles and would activate if a series of tripwires were broken. During the coasting period between staging, the ISDS charges were disabled. The Atlas’s own RSO charges were also wired so that they would destroy both vehicles if activated. Most Agenas also had their own separate RSO charges, although NASA planetary probes omitted them for weight-saving reasons and due to the flight trajectory used, which meant that destruct of the Agena was no longer possible following staging.
Two Atlas-Agena flights involved an intentional destruct of the Atlas (Mariner 1 and Canyon 4) while two others (Midas 6 and Midas 8) resulted in an ISDS destruction of the Agena following in-flight malfunction and self-destruct of the Atlas.
The Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle had a specially modified Range Safety destruct system designed to fire slugs into the propellant tanks rather than the conventional method of rupturing them externally, since an inadvertent activation of the RSO system in orbit could endanger the Gemini astronauts.
The very first Atlas-Agena flight, Midas 1 in February 1960, failed when the unproven ISDS system mistakenly activated at staging, rupturing the Atlas’s LOX tank and causing the breakup of the Agena. The ISDS system was redesigned afterwards and this failure mode did not repeat itself.
Production Launches
Ranger
Ranger block I spacecraft bus was used for the first two Rangers, and also for the first two Mariner interplanetary probes.
The Ranger spacecraft were designed to impact the Moon, returning photographs of the lunar surface until their destruction. The spacecraft was designed in three Blocks, all similar in appearance with a forward antenna and magnetometer, supported by a boom, with more sensors and two solar panels and a dish antenna mounted at the base. The first two Block I spacecraft, Ranger 1 and Ranger 2, were launched on August 23 and November 18, 1961, not to the Moon, but in intended high Earth orbits to test the Atlas-Agena and spacecraft capabilities. However, the Agena malfunctioned on both flights and left the probes trapped in a useless low Earth orbit from which they soon decayed.
The Block II missions, Ranger 3, Ranger 4, and Ranger 5, were launched away from Earth in January, April, and October 1962, but all three failed due to either malfunctions of the probe or launch vehicle difficulties. Ranger 3 missed the Moon entirely. Ranger 4’s solar panels failed to deploy, and the navigation system failed, sending the probe to impact the lunar far side without returning any pictures or data. Ranger 5 suffered an unknown failure which deprived it of power, and it missed the Moon by 725 kilometers (391 nautical miles).
Ranger 6, launched January 30, 1964, successfully impacted the Moon but its cameras failed to return pictures. The last three Rangers were finally successful: Ranger 7 in July 1964, Ranger 8 in February 1965, and Ranger 9 in March 1965.
Mariner
The Mariner spacecraft were built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mariner 1 and Mariner 2 were twins, launched on July 22 and August 27, 1962, to fly by the planet Venus. The first two craft used the same spacecraft bus as the Block I Rangers, each weighing 446 pounds (202 kg) and instrumented to perform radiometric temperature measurements of the planet, and to measure interplanetary magnetic fields and particles. Mariner 1’s Atlas-Agena malfunctioned and went off course, requiring its destruction approximately 5 minutes after liftoff. Mariner 2 successfully made the 3½-month flight, becoming the first spacecraft to fly by another planet. It carried microwave and infrared radiometers, and sensors for cosmic dust, solar plasma and high-energy radiation, and magnetic fields.
Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 used a redesigned spacecraft bus weighing 575 pounds (261 kg), and were launched on November 5 and November 28, 1964 to fly by the planet Mars. Mariner 3 failed after a successful launch when its payload shroud failed to open. These Mariners carried cameras, and Mariner 4 successfully returned pictures of Mars as it flew by.
The 540-pound (240 kg) Mariner 5 was successfully launched to Venus on June 14, 1967 and flew by in October, probing Venus’ atmosphere with radio waves, scanning its brightness in ultraviolet light, and sampling solar particles and magnetic field fluctuations above the planet.
Gemini
The Agena rocket stage was used as the passive docking target for the Gemini manned space program. After docking, the Agena could also be fired by the astronauts to raise the combined Gemini-Agena spacecraft into a higher orbit. The first attempt at such a docking mission was made for the Gemini 6 mission on October 25, 1965, but the Agena suffered an engine failure and did not reach orbit. This forced postponement and replanning of the Gemini 6A mission, which performed rendezvous with Gemini 7 without docking.
The GATV was first successfully launched for Gemini 8 on March 16, 1966, permitting the first successful docking in space. GATV-8 was later used as the secondary Agena target for Gemini 10, which also docked with its own GATV. GATV-9 failed to orbit when the Atlas suffered a control malfunction, forcing a similar reschedule of the Gemini 9A mission using a backup Augmented Target Docking Adapter atop an Atlas, but with no Agena rocket stage. Two more GATVs were successfully launched and used on Gemini 11 and Gemini 12.
Lunar Orbiter
A series of five Lunar Orbiter spacecraft were launched from August 1966 through August 1967, to help select landing sites for the Apollo manned lunar landing program by mapping the Moon’s surface. Each spacecraft weighed 850 pounds (390 kg) and was 4.9 feet (1.5 m) in diameter, minus the four extended solar panels. All launches were successful, and a total of 99 percent of the surface of the Moon (near and far side) was mapped with resolution as high as 3 ft. 3 in (1 meter). Altogether the Orbiters returned 2180 high resolution and 882 medium resolution frames. The spacecraft also carried micrometeroid sensors, which showed the average micro-meteoroid flux near the Moon to be two orders of magnitude greater than in interplanetary space, but slightly less than the near-Earth environment.
OAO
Orbiting Astronomical Observatory was a series of NASA satellites flown between 1966 and 1972 for astronomy studies. The first OAO (launched April 8, 1966) used a one-off Atlas variant, mating an Agena D to the LV-3C variant of the Atlas and encased in a Centaur-type payload shroud. The remaining three launches used actual Atlas-Centaur vehicles.
ATS
Applications Technology Satellite was a series of NASA satellites flown in 1967-69 to perform various technology tests. Only the first ATS was launched on an Atlas-Agena, the remainder using Atlas-Centaurs. ATS-1 was a partial failure when the Agena failed to restart, leaving it in LEO.
OGO
Orbiting Geophysical Observatory was a series of NASA satellites flown between 1964 and 1969 for magnetosphere studies. These satellites used several different booster types, including Thor-Agenas. Five of them used Atlas-Agenas, and OGO 5 (launched March 4, 1968) was the sole civilian use of the Atlas SLV-3A Agena.
Midas
Missile Defense Alarm System was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1960 and 1966 for infrared detection of ballistic missile exhaust plumes on Atlas-Agena A, B, and D. There were several failures and overall program performance was poor, but it would give way to the more successful DSP satellites.
Samos
Samos was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1960 and 1962 for photoreconnaissance on Atlas-Agena A and B. There were several failures, including an on-pad explosion of an Atlas, and the program was cancelled at the end of 1962 without ever demonstrating any operational capability.
Gambit
KH-7 Gambit was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1963 and 1966 for photoreconnaissance on Atlas-Agena D. Although there were a number of mission failures, Gambit overall was highly successful in comparison with the bungled Samos program and it returned high-value area reconnaissance of the USSR and China before giving way to KH-8 Gambit in 1967.
Rhyolite/Canyon
Rhyolite/Canyon was a series of Air Force satellites flown between 1968 and 1978 for SIGNIT intelligence on Atlas SLV-3A Agena. One Canyon mission failed when its Atlas went off course and had to be destroyed. These were the final launches of Atlas-Agena vehicles aside from the one-off Atlas F/Agena used to launch Seasat.
Vela
Vela consisted of two sets of Air Force satellites flown in 1964-65 to monitor Soviet compliance with the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty on Atlas-Agena Ds.
Snapshot
Snapshot was a one-off Air Force test of a nuclear satellite flown in 1965 on an Atlas-Agena D.
S85-46206 (December 1985) --- Sharon Christa McAuliffe, STS-51L payload specialist representing the Teacher-in-Space Project, uses a treadmill exercising device during a training session at the Johnson Space Center in preparation for January's week-long mission aboard the space shuttle Challenger. This photo was taken by Bill Bower. Photo credit: NASA
PictionID:44806944 - Catalog:14_014061 - Title:Atlas Payload Component - Filename:14_014061.TIF - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are transferring supplies and hardware into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations. The Cygnus spacecraft will carry more than 6,000 pounds of cargo on the next resupply flight to the International Space Station. Cygnus is undergoing prelaunch processing at Kennedy before launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket scheduled for December 3 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, workers from Lockheed Martin prepare the high-gain antenna to be moved toward the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) for installation. After solar array installation, the MRO will be transported to the Vertical Installation Facility in late July. It will join the Atlas V for the final phase of launch preparations. The spacecraft is then scheduled to undergo a functional test, and a final week of integrated testing and closeouts. The MRO was built by Lockheed Martin for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. It is the next major step in Mars exploration and scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in a window opening Aug. 10. The MRO is an important next step in fulfilling NASAs vision of space exploration and ultimately sending human explorers to Mars and beyond. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
The An-2 is used as a light utility transport, parachute drop aircraft, agricultural work and many other tasks suited to this large slow-flying biplane. Its slow flight and good short field performance make it suited for short, unimproved fields, and some specialized variants have also been built for cold weather and other extreme environments. The Guinness Book of World Records states that the 45-year production run for the An-2 was for a time the longest ever, for any aircraft, but it was recently exceeded by the Lockheed C-130 Hercules.[1]
The Antonov An-2 was designed to meet a 1947 Soviet Ministry of Forestry requirement for a replacement for the Polikarpov Po-2, which was used in large numbers in both agricultural and utility roles. Antonov designed a large single bay biplane of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit and a cabin with room for seats accommodating twelve passengers. The first prototype, designated SKh-1 and powered by a Shvetsov ASh-21 radial engine, flew on 31 August 1947. The second prototype was fitted with a more powerful Shvetsov ASh-62 engine, which allowed the aircraft's payload to be significantly increased from 1,300 kg (2,870 lb) to 2,140 kg (4,720 lb), and in this form it was ordered into production.[7]
Initial Soviet production was at State Factory 473 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR where the bulk of up to 5,000 units had been produced by 1960. Later Soviet production (after 1965, of model An-2M especially) was at State Factory 464 at Dolgoprudniy, Russian SFSR. After 1960, however, most An-2s were been built at Poland's WSK factory in Mielec, with over 13,000 made there before full production ended in 1991. Limited production from parts stocks, as well as spares and maintenance coverage continued until 2001, when four aircraft were produced for Vietnam.[8] China also builds the An-2 under licence as the Shijiazhuang Y-5.[1] It has been occasionally and erroneously reported that there was East German production of the An-2. While An-2s were extensively refurbished in East Germany, there were no new aircraft built there.
The An-2 was designed as a utility aircraft for use in forestry and agriculture. However, the basic airframe is highly adaptable and numerous variants have been developed. These include hopper-equipped versions for crop-dusting, scientific versions for atmospheric sampling, water-bombers for fighting forest-fires, flying ambulances, float-equipped seaplane versions and lightly armed combat versions for dropping paratroops.[9] The most common version is the An-2T 12-seater passenger aircraft. All versions (other than the An-3) are powered by a 750 kW (1,000 hp) nine-cylinder Shvetsov ASh-62 radial engine, which was developed from the Wright R-1820.[1] It uses 43 gallons of avgas per hour.[9]
An-2 on skis at Volosovo air field, Moscow region
An-2 at Grand Junction aviation show.
The An-2 has design features which make it suitable for operation in remote areas with unsurfaced airstrips:
It has a pneumatic brake system (similar to those used on heavy road vehicles) to stop on short runways.[1]
It has an air line fitted to the compressor, so the pressure in the tires and shock absorbers can be adjusted without the need for special equipment.[1]
The batteries are large and easy to remove, so the aircraft does not need a ground power unit to supply power.[1]
There is no need for an external fuel pump to refuel the aircraft, as it has an onboard pump that allows the tanks to be filled from simple fuel drums.[1]
It has a minimum of complex systems. The crucial wing leading edge slats that give the aircraft its slow flight ability are fully automatic, being held closed by the airflow over the wings. Once the airspeed drops below 64 km/h (40 mph), the slats will extend because they are on elastic rubber springs.[1]
Take-off run: 170 m, landing run: 215 m (these numbers will of course vary depending on take-off/landing weight, outside air temperature, surface roughness, and headwind).[1]
Antonov An-2 (An2-TP)
A note from the pilot's handbook reads: "If the engine quits in instrument conditions or at night, the pilot should pull the control column full aft and keep the wings level. The leading-edge slats will snap out at about 64 km/h (40 mph) and when the airplane slows to a forward speed of about 40 km/h (25 mph), the airplane will sink at about a parachute descent rate until the aircraft hits the ground." [1]
The An-2 indeed has no stall speed quoted in the operating handbook. Pilots of the An-2 say one can fly the aircraft in full control at 30 mph (as a contrast, a modern Cessna four-seater light aircraft has a stall speed of around 50 mph). This slow stall speed makes it possible for the aircraft to fly backwards (if the aircraft is pointed into a headwind of, say, 35 mph (56 km/h), it will travel backwards at 5 mph (8.0 km/h) whilst under full control). (This is also possible with almost any other true Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) aircraft, but the Antonov has the distinction of being able to do the trick in the mildest headwind.)[1]
Closeup on a private An-2TP
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European communist states, most airlines in these areas have been withdrawing their An-2s from service, as some of these aircraft are now over 40 years old and the production of avgas had decreased.[9] Private operators are still using the planes, as their stability, capacity and slow-flying ability make them very popular, for instance for skydiving.[1][9]
In the early 1980s Antonov experimented with a development of the An-2 powered by a modern turboprop engine. The unit used was a 1,450 horsepower (1,080 kW) Glushenkov engine and aircraft fitted with this engine were fitted with a longer, more streamlined nose to accommodate it. See Antonov An-3 article for more information.[1]
In 2013 Antonov announced that it had successfully flown for the first time a new version of the An-2 dubbed the An-2-100 fitted with a 3-blade reversible propeller and a 1500 shp Motor Sich MS-14 turboprop running on kerosene rather than Avgas which is no longer produced in CIS countries.[10]
Whilst their high noise levels, increasing maintenance costs, high fuel consumption[9] and unsophisticated nature (the pre-flight checks alone take between 30 and 40 minutes) make them obsolete for commercial service in Europe, the large number of aircraft available means that prices are low (from as little as US$30,000 for a serviceable example). This makes them ideal for the developing world, where their ability to carry large loads into short airstrips makes them assets to airlines on a budget. Many ex-Aeroflot An-2s work as regional airliners in Africa, Central and South America, Cuba and southeast Asia.[1]
Ukrainian Hryvna depicting the An-2 airplane
North Korea has a number of the aircraft with[11] wooden propellers and canvas wings on their variants (the Y-5 version licence-built in China) giving them a low radar cross-section and therefore a limited degree of "stealth".[12] In a war they could possibly be used to parachute or deliver special forces troops behind enemy lines for sabotage operations.[1]
The An-2's ability, looks and flying characteristics, and its status as one of the world's biggest single-engined production biplanes, mean that demand for the An-2 is increasing in Western Europe and the United States, where they are prized by collectors of classic aircraft, making it an increasingly common sight at airshows. However, many western countries prohibit the use of the An-2 commercially because the aircraft has not been certified by the relevant national aviation authorities. These restrictions vary by country, but all prevent the An-2 being used for any 'for profit' purpose, with the exception of the United States, where An-2s imported since 1993 are limited to experimental certification & Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 21.191,21.193,21.195,91.313,91.319,[9] but PZL-built An-2s are exempt from this restriction due to a bilateral agreement with Poland.[1]
Modernization and refitting projects[edit]
In 2013, Antonov received orders for upgrading "hundreds" of the An-2 planes still in operation in Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia to the An-2-100 upgrade version.[4]
The Siberian Research Institute of Aviation (SIBNIA) has test flown a highly modified Antonov An-2 with carbonfibre winglet-like braces and carbonfibre wing structures. This is to demonstrate the aerodynamic and structural changes planned for an An-2 replacement, Sukhoi has announced on 10 June 2015. The aircraft was equipped with a five-bladed turboprop engine, most probably the Honeywell TPE331 already installed on a modernized version of the An-2 that entered service in 2014. The autoclave-cured carbonfibre composite materials – including wing panels, spars and ribs – were produced by the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. Sukhoi says the design change improved the speed of the An-2 by 50%, and testing also has shown the minimum flying speed of the aircraft is “close to zero”.
PictionID:43096474 - Title:Atlas 363D, FIRE Details: Gantry pull back on Project FIRE Payload; CCMTA; Pad 12 Date: 09/30/1963 - Catalog:14_004659 - Filename:14_004659.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
On June 28, Goddard hosted a Media/VIP/Employee Day to explain the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) payload onboard STS-135. The joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency is designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies, and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space. Reporters were also provided an in depth look into how Goddard has provided the communications network for voice, data and video support throughout the shuttle program.
In this photo Susan Hoge, Operations Director, Flight Dynamics Facility, explains the support Goddard provides during a shuttle mission from launch to landing.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Pat Izzo
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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On June 28, Goddard hosted a Media/VIP/Employee Day to explain the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) payload onboard STS-135. The joint effort between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency is designed to demonstrate and test the tools, technologies, and techniques needed to robotically refuel satellites in space. Reporters were also provided an in depth look into how Goddard has provided the communications network for voice, data and video support throughout the shuttle program.
Standing in front of the clean room used to build the Robotic Refueling Mission module, Benjamin Reed explains the four unique tools developed at Goddard for the mission.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Pat Izzo
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Howard Hu, manager, Orion Program, inspects NASA’s Orion spacecraft following its arrival at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center Multi-Payload Processing Facility in Florida on Thursday, April 30, 2026, for de-servicing operations on the spacecraft. The Orion spacecraft successfully splashed down on Friday, April 10, 2026, in the Pacific Ocean following its approximate 10-day journey around the Moon carrying NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen for the Artemis II test flight mission. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
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NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine talks with Barbara Cohen, associate project scientist for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland during a event where it was announced that nine U.S. companies are eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The companies will be able to bid on delivering science and technology payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA expects to be one of many customers that will use these commercial landing services. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The payload fairing containing NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S), secured on a transporter, arrives at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The payload fairing will be lifted and mated to the ULA Atlas V rocket. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. GOES-S is slated to launch aboard the ULA Atlas V on March 1. Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media get a close-up view of a Cygnus cargo vessel. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. Reporters, technicians and engineers are clad in "bunny suits." The cleanroom garments are worn to prevent contamination in the controlled environment. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility technicians and engineers inspect a solar array panel on NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Targeted for liftoff Sept. 8, 2016, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairings are being secured around NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-T (GOES-T) inside the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, on Feb. 7, 2022. The payload fairings will secure and protect the satellite during launch.
GOES-T is scheduled to launch on March 1, 2022, atop the Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
GOES-T is the third satellite in the GOES-R series ― the Western Hemisphere's most advanced weather-observing and environmental monitoring system. Data from GOES-T will help meteorologists see the big picture as well as read the fine print, providing critical real-time information before, during and after severe weather and disasters strike.
The launch is being managed by NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, America’s multi-user spaceport.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announces the nine U.S. companies that are eligible to bid on NASA delivery services to the lunar surface through Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contracts, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The companies will be able to bid on delivering science and technology payloads for NASA, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA expects to be one of many customers that will use these commercial landing services. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Glory spacecraft arrives at its launch site payload processing facility, ready to be unpacked from its shipping container.
Credit: NASA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.
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Jumbo dart used as part of the Ares I parachute test is loaded into the back of a U.S. Air Force C-17, April 13, 2010. A specialized trailer was used to handle its 77,000 pound weight.
Credit: NASA
About the drop test:
Under a brilliant early morning Arizona sky, NASA conducted a successful, record-breaking test of a drogue parachute being designed to return next-generation space vehicles safely to Earth. The 77,000-pound payload used in the test was dropped from the back of a U.S. Air Force C-17 at an altitude of 25,000 feet, setting a record for the heaviest single load ever extracted out of a C-17 during flight. NASA conducted the drop test, April 14, at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground near Yuma, Ariz.
Read more:
www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/H10-134.html
Watch the video on YouTube:
A technician inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida installs a memory card containing a total of 1,350,144 names as part of a commemorative plaque on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Friday, July 17, 2026. The names, submitted by people from across the globe, including astronauts from NASA’s Artemis II and Artemis III missions, will travel with the Roman observatory to the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 2, or L2, about one million miles from Earth, where the Sun’s and Earth’s gravity balance out. Roman is named after Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer and one of the architects of the agency’s modern science program. Photo credit: NASA/Jolearra Tshiteya
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The Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS) team confirmed ready for launch in a pre-launch meeting at ESA's Centre for Earth Observation (ESRIN).
Credits: ESA
S85-46205 (December 1985) --- Sharon Christa McAuliffe (left), from Concord, New Hampshire, and Barbara R. Morgan of McCall, Idaho, have been named NASA Teacher-in-Space Project prime and backup payload specialists, respectively, for the first citizen observer position of the STS program, scheduled for a Challenger flight in January 1986. Photo credit: NASA
Presentations on the ExoMars payload by Daniil Rodionov (ACS, FREND) IKI Moscow, Manish Patel (NOMAD) Uni Padua, and Gabriele Cremonese, Co-PI for CASSIS, Astronomical Observatory, Padua. Images credit: ESA/R. Palmari
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are transferring supplies and hardware into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations. The Cygnus spacecraft will carry more than 7,000 pounds of cargo on the next resupply flight to the International Space Station. Cygnus is undergoing prelaunch processing at Kennedy before launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket scheduled for December 3 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility technicians and engineers attach a solar array panel to NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Targeted for liftoff Sept. 8, 2016, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians encapsulate the agency’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in its payload fairing. Targeted for liftoff at 7:05 p.m. EDT Sept. 8, 2016, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and technicians encapsulate the agency’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx spacecraft in its payload fairing. Targeted for liftoff at 7:05 p.m. EDT Sept. 8, 2016, OSIRIS-Rex will be the first U.S. mission to sample an asteroid, retrieve at least two ounces of surface material and return it to Earth for study. The asteroid, Bennu, may hold clues to the origin of the solar system and the source of water and organic molecules found on Earth.
Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
On October 11th, SpaceX successfully launched the EchoStar 105/SES-11 payload from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The satellite was deployed approximately 36 minutes after liftoff into its targeted orbit.
S85-46693 (26 Dec. 1985) --- Sharon Christa McAuliffe (right), the Teacher-in-Space payload specialist assigned to the STS-51L mission, and her backup, Barbara R. Morgan pose for photos after training in the shuttle mock-up and integration laboratory at JSC. The shuttle crew compartment, in a launch mode, can be seen in the background. Photo credit: NASA
S85-46694 (26 Dec. 1985) --- Sharon Christa McAuliffe (right) and Barbara R. Morgan, Teacher-in-Space payload specialist and backup, respectively, pause from a break in launch and entry readiness training to pose for NASA photographer. The crew compartment trainer (CCT) is in a vertical position (background) to accommodate that training. Astronauts use the shuttle mock-up and integration laboratory to train for a variety of activities. Photo credit: NASA
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) payload fairing for NASA's upcoming Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, or InSight, mission to land on Mars has just arrived at the Astrotech facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. InSight is the first mission to explore the Red Planet's deep interior. It will investigate processes that shaped the rocky planets of the inner solar system including Earth. Liftoff atop a ULA Atlas V rocket is scheduled for May 5, 2018.
Photo credit: USAF 30th Space Wing/Rodney Speed
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility high bay at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are transferring supplies and hardware into the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized module during late stowage operations. The Cygnus spacecraft will carry more than 7,000 pounds of cargo on the next resupply flight to the International Space Station. Cygnus is undergoing prelaunch processing at Kennedy before launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket scheduled for December 3 from Space Launch Complex 41 at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Photo credit: NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, members of the news media get a close-up view of a Cygnus cargo vessel. The spacecraft is scheduled for the upcoming Orbital ATK Commercial Resupply Services-6 mission to deliver hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. Reporters, technicians and engineers are clad in "bunny suits." The cleanroom garments are worn to prevent contamination in the controlled environment. The Cygnus is scheduled to lift off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on March 22.
Photo credit: NASA/Bill White
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, or OCO-2, satellite sits atop a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket prior to encapsulation in its payload fairing at Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Launch is scheduled for 2:56 a.m. PDT 5:56 a.m. EDT on July 1. OCO-2 is NASA’s first mission dedicated to studying atmospheric carbon dioxide, the leading human-produced greenhouse gas driving changes in Earth’s climate. OCO-2 will provide a new tool for understanding the human and natural sources of carbon dioxide emissions and the natural "sinks" that absorb carbon dioxide and help control its buildup. The observatory will measure the global geographic distribution of these sources and sinks and study their changes over time. To learn more about OCO-2, visit oco.jpl.nasa.gov Photo credit: NASA/Mark Mackley
For the entirety of World War Two, the two main Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) medium bombers were the Mitsubishi G3M (code named Nell by the Allies) and the Mitsubishi G4M (code named Betty). The G3M entered service in 1935 but by 1943, it was mostly relegated to training and transport roles. The G4M, nicknamed the “Hamaki” (meaning “Cigar”) by Japanese pilots, was taken into service in 1940 and became the primary IJN bomber throughout the war. Both bombers traded off protection and defensive armaments for offensive payload capacity, range, and speed. The lack of defensive weapons manifested itself during the aerial war over China and some measures were taken to remediate it but the lack of protection plagued both bombers. Critical components such as the engines and crew areas lacked any armor protection while fuel tanks did not have any self-sealing capability. The latter concern saw the Allies nickname the G4M as the “Flying Lighter” as any hits to the fuel tanks tended to ignite the bomber into flames. While the problems with the G4M were addressed in later models, neither the G3M nor the G4M where suitable for the role of a fast medium attack bomber such as the likes of the Martin B-26 Marauder and the Junkers Ju 88 with which to undertake low-level bombing missions, anti-shipping operations, or dive-bombing attacks. To that end, the IJN issued a 15-shi specification in 1940 for just such a bomber and Kügishö was tasked to bring it to life, which it did as the P1Y Ginga (meaning “Milky Way”).
Within Kügishö, the design was designated as the Y-20 and the engineering team was led by Tadanao Mitsuzi and Masao Yamana. What resulted was a very aerodynamically clean, mid-wing, twin-engine bomber. To ensure a good range, the Ginga had fourteen fuel tanks mounted in it but only eight of them were protected. Only the pilot had a modicum of protection in the form of a 20mm thick armored plate behind his head. Defensive armament was light, consisting of a single 7.7mm Type 92 machine-gun in the nose and a rear firing 20mm Type 99 cannon. For payload, the Ginga could carry a single 1,746 pound torpedo or two 1,102 pound bombs. Two Nakajima NK9B Homare 11 18-cylinder, air-cooled radial engines rated for 1,280 horsepower each were estimated to move the Ginga at a maximum speed of 345 miles per hour. The first prototype was completed and test flown starting in August 1943. Test pilots praised its speed and handling but ground crew cursed the Homare engines and the hydraulic systems of the new bomber due to an unacceptably high level of required maintenance. Changes to the Ginga included replacing the Type 92 machine-gun with another Type 99 cannon, adding a bullet-proof panel to the windshield, replacing the Homare 11 with the 1,825 horsepower NK9C Homare 12 engines, and other improvements but these modifications greatly delayed the Ginga from getting into service. When the P1Y1 was finally accepted into service, it was not until October 1944 and not in any sizable numbers until the spring of 1945. The Allies gave the P1Y the code name Frances and Allied pilots respected the bomber whenever it was encountered. Given the performance of the P1Y, a number of design variations were undertaken, most of which involved additional improvements. However, one such variant was constructed to undertake the task of combating U.S. Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers at night as well as serving as a low-level nocturnal intruder and this is the subject of the photograph.
The aircraft is the Kügishö P1Y2-S Kyokkō, which meant “Aurora”. The Kyokkō was a modification of the Kawanishi built P1Y1 and included some differences from the initial P1Y1. As there was a lack of Homare 12 engines, Kawanishi substituted them with the Mitsubishi MK4T-A Kasei 25a 14-cylinder radial engines, each rated at 1,850 horsepower. Since the Kyokkō was to be used for bombing, it retained the internal bomb-bay though the nose mounted Type 99 cannon was removed. Fitted into the fuselage, just behind the rear cockpit were two obliquely angled Type 99 cannons. The rear mounted defensive Type 99 cannon was retained to provide a small measure of protection against enemy fighters. The Kyokkō contained no form of airborne radar and so it depended on the keen eyesight of the three man crew, moonlight, or searchlights illuminating targets in order to engage enemy bombers. The Kyokkō went into production after initial testing of the prototype in June 1944. Although some 96 examples were built at Kawanishi's Konan manufacturing plant, the Kyokkō was never officially adopted by the IJN. Nevertheless, it was deployed operationally by the 302nd. Kōkūtai and it was here that the Kyokkō was found wanting. The B-29 typically operated at an altitude of 31,850 feet at a maximum speed of 350mph and the Kyokkō topped out at a speed of 325mph at 17,714 feet. While the Kyokkō had a service ceiling of 31,365 feet, it struggled to get there and simply did not have the speed at that height to catch a B-29. So disappointing was the performance of the Kyokkō that the IJN ordered that the majority of the night fighters be returned to a standard medium bomber configuration and this was accomplished by removing the upward firing fuselage cannons. These were put into service as the Kügishö P1Y2.
The photograph here depicts the remains of a Kyokkō following the surrender of Japan on August 15, 1945. The likely location was the IJN's Atsugi naval air base in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is often captioned as being from the 2nd. Hikotai, 302nd. Kōkūtai. What is unique about this Kyokkō is that instead of the two upward firing Type 99 cannons, it is fitted with a single Type 5 30mm cannon. The Type 5 was a very late war weapon, only being accepted into IJN service in June 1945 with some 2,000-3,000 examples being completed by the end of the war (source depending). The gun fired a 30x122mm round with a muzzle velocity of 2,460 feet and each shell contained 345 grams of high explosive. The cannon was fed from a 42-round magazine and had a rate of fire of between 400 to 450 rounds per minute to an effective range of 900 meters.
As a note, another night fighter attempt was made, this time using the Nakajima built P1Y1. A single prototype was built, the P1Y1-S Byakkō (“White Light”). It was fitted with two upward firing Type 99 cannons in front of the cockpit and two behind the cockpit. For defense, the rear weapon was a 13mm Type 2 machine-gun. As the Byakkō was purely to be used as a night fighter and not a nocturnal intruder aircraft, the bomb-bay wasn't required and the crew was reduced to two. The P1Y1-S retained the problematic Homare 12 engines of the P1Y1 bomber. However, like the Kyokkō, the Byakkō suffered much the same interception problems even though the P1Y1-S was somewhat faster (341mph at 20,013 feet ) and had a better maximum ceiling of 33,465 feet. Because of this, the IJN took no interest in the Byakkō.
Catalog #: 10_0009139
Date: 1960
Title: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas
Corporation Name: Convair/General Dynamics
Additional Information: Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able
Tags: Convair/General Dynamics Atlas, Payload Fit Checks for Atlas Able , 1960, Convair/General Dynamics
Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
The payload fairing containing NOAA's GOES-T satellite is lifted up by crane at the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The fairing-encapsulated GOES-T spacecraft was mated with the launch vehicle on Feb. 17, 2022.
GOES-T is slated to Launch on March. 1, 2022.
Photo credit: United Launch Alliance