Discoverer 16, also known as Corona 9011, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure on 26 October 1960. It was the first of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B. The launch of Discoverer 16 occurred at 20:26 UTC on 26 October 1960. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-4 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Agena failed to separate from the Thor first stage, and as a result the satellite failed to achieve orbit. Discoverer 16 was intended to have been operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of , and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of , which had a maximum resolution of . It was to have recorded images onto film, which would have been returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle aboard Discoverer 16 was SRV-506. References Spacecraft launched in 1960 Satellite launch failures