Discoverer 30

Discoverer 30, also known as Corona 9022, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was launched in 1961. It was a KH-3 Corona ''' satellite, based on an Agena-B rocket.

The launch of Discoverer 30 occurred at 19:59 UTC on 12 September 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base. Upon successfully reaching orbit, it was assigned the Harvard designation 1961 Omega 1.

Discoverer 30 was operated in a low Earth orbit, with a perigee of 231 km, an apogee of 484 km, 82.6 degrees of inclination, and a period of 91.7 minutes. The satellite had a mass of 1150 kg, and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of 61 cm, which had a maximum resolution of 7.6 m. Images were recorded onto 70 mm film, and returned in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle two days after launch; however, like the previous mission, all of the images returned were found to be out of focus. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle used by Discoverer 30 was SRV-551. Once its images had been returned, Discoverer 30's mission was complete, and it remained in orbit until its decay on 11 December 1961.