Status
Success
Rocket
Mission Details
Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6)
Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) was the third human spaceflight for the U.S. and part of Project Mercury. The mission was piloted by astronaut John Glenn, who performed three orbits of the Earth, making him the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth. The Mercury spacecraft, named Friendship 7, was carried to orbit by an Atlas LV-3B launch vehicle lifting off from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. After four hours and 56 minutes in flight, the spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, splashed down in the North Atlantic Ocean and was safely taken aboard USS Noa.
Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 2,981.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit
Location
LC-14, Cape Canaveral SFS, Florida, USA
Stats
1962
5th orbital launch attempt
Atlas LV-3B
7th mission
1st mission of 1962
4th successful mission
3rd consecutive successful mission