Nimbus B

Nimbus B
Mission type	Weather satellite
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	NIMBS-B
Mission duration	Launch failure
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	RCA Astrospace
Launch mass	571.5 kilograms (1,260 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	May 18, 1968, 08:23:00 UTC
Rocket	Thorad-SLV2G Agena-D
Launch site	Vandenberg SLC-2E
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Epoch	Planned
	Nimbus program ← Nimbus 2 Nimbus 3 →

Nimbus B was a meteorological satellite launched as part of the Nimbus program. It was released on May 18, 1968 from the Vandenberg Air Force Base, Lompoc, California, by means of a Thor-Agena launch vehicle, together with the SECOR 10 satellite. Nimbus B never achieved orbit because a malfunction in the booster guidance system forced the destruction of the spacecraft and its payload during launch.

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The Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator SNAP-19 RTG was salvaged from the water, refurbished and later flown on Nimbus 3.^[3]

Nimbus B undergoes testing in an echo-free chamber.
The hunt was on for the Nimbus remains—divers, submarines and navy vessels all scoured the ocean in search of the craft.
A team of divers and search vessels scoured the Pacific Ocean in search of remains of Nimbus-B.
Intact SNAP-19 fuel capsule is shown among debris on Pacific Ocean floor, resulting from the aborted launch of a Nimbus B.

[1]
"Nimbus B". National Space Science Data Center Master Catalog. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
[2]
McDowell, Jonathan C. "GCAT orbital launch log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
[3]
"Nimbus B". NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Retrieved June 5, 2018.