Image Article

This image is a cutaway illustration of the Explorer I satellite with callouts.

Jupiter-C Missile No. 27 assembly at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), Redstone Arsenal, in Huntsville, Alabama.

Explorer I satellite installed atop the Jupiter-C launch vehicle.

Explorer 1 atop a Jupiter-C launch vehicle in gantry.

Jupiter-C launch vehicle shortly before the January 31, 1958 launch of America’s first satellite, Explorer I.

Jupiter-C launch vehicle readied for launch at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Activities in a blockhouse during the launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 on January 31, 1958.

Launch of Jupiter-C/Explorer 1 at Cape Canaveral, Florida on January 31, 1958.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Director Dr. James Pickering, Dr. James van Allen of the State University of Iowa, and Army Ballistic…