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The Agena Target Vehicle (/ ə ˈ dʒ iː n ə /; ATV), also known as Gemini-Agena Target Vehicle (GATV), was an uncrewed spacecraft used by NASA during its Gemini program to develop and practice orbital space rendezvous and docking techniques, and to perform large orbital changes, in preparation for the Apollo program lunar missions. [1]
Agena Target Vehicle in space. The Agena Target Vehicle was based around the Agena-D, with equipment fitted to support use as a rendezvous and docking target for missions conducted as part of Project Gemini. It was equipped with a Bell Aerospace Model 8247 engine, which was qualified for up to 15 restarts. [2]
The Agena Target Vehicle is launched into space on an Atlas rocket in preparation for Gemini 8. Five months earlier, NASA had launched an Agena Target Vehicle for Gemini 6, but the Atlas-Agena launch failed when the Agena's engine exploded during orbital injection and the mission had to be rescheduled. The next attempt succeeded.
The Agena Target Vehicle as seen from Gemini 8 during rendezvous, March 16, 1966. The Agena rocket stage was used as the passive docking target for the Gemini crewed space program. After docking, the Agena could also be fired by the astronauts to raise the combined Gemini-Agena spacecraft into a higher orbit.
Gemini 9's Agena Target Vehicle (ATV) was launched on May 17, 1966, on an Atlas launch vehicle. The Atlas malfunctioned in flight and the ATV failed to reach orbit. [4] This forced the cancellation ("scrubbing") of the Gemini 9 launch scheduled for later that morning.
Gemini 11 used the rocket on its Agena target vehicle to raise its apogee to 853 miles (1,373 km), the highest Earth orbit ever reached by a crewed spacecraft at the time. [6] The perigee was 179 miles (288 km), and maximum velocity (at perigee) was 17,967 miles per hour (28,915 km/h). [5]
The Agena target vehicle (ATV) was used for testing Earth orbit rendezvous in the NASA Gemini Program. Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 rendezvoused in orbit in 1965, but without Agena. Next, Gemini 8 successfully docked with the Agena on March 16, 1966.
Gemini 10 was designed to achieve rendezvous and docking with an Agena Target Vehicle (ATV), and EVA. It was also planned to dock with the ATV from the Gemini 8 mission. [5] This Agena's battery power had failed months earlier, and an approach and docking would demonstrate the ability to rendezvous with a passive object.