Family-level launch record combining canonical variants, historical missions, public cadence forecasts, and available payload performance specs.
Historical missions are grouped by actual launch year. Forecast cadence uses family-level launch-rate rows.
| Year | Historical missions | Forecast launches |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 | 1 | 0 |
| 1958 | 6 | 0 |
| 1959 | 4 | 0 |
Payload capacity by variant and target orbit when structured capacity rows are available.
| Variant | Orbit | Capacity | Altitude | Inclination | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No performance specsNo structured payload capacity rows are linked to this vehicle family. | |||||
Latest launched missions using variants in this family.
| Mission | Variant | Launch |
|---|---|---|
| Vanguard III Mission | Vanguard X-248 | Sep 18, 1959 |
| Launch 1959-F03 | Vanguard | Jun 22, 1959 |
| Launch 1959-F01 | Vanguard | Apr 14, 1959 |
| Vanguard II |
Canonical variants rolled up into this launch vehicle family.
| Variant | Stages | Missions | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Vanguard | Not stated | 10 | Retired |
Vanguard X-248 | Not stated | 1 | Retired |
Vanguard |
| Feb 17, 1959 |
| Launch 1958-U01 | Vanguard | Sep 26, 1958 |
| Launch 1958-F06 | Vanguard | Jun 26, 1958 |
| Launch 1958-F05 | Vanguard | May 28, 1958 |
| Launch 1958-F04 | Vanguard | Apr 29, 1958 |
Upcoming mission rows with announced launch timing.
| Mission | Variant | Announced |
|---|---|---|
No forecasted missionsNo upcoming announced mission rows are linked to this vehicle family. | ||
NorthStar Earth & Space is preparing an IPO with SPAC Viking Acquisition Corp. I.
NorthStar Earth & Space filed an F-4 registration with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed $300 million merger with Viking Acquisition Corp.
NorthStar Earth & Space is pursuing a $300 million USD merger with special purpose acquisition company Viking Acquisition Corp. I (NYSE: VACI).
NorthStar Earth & Space is preparing to go public on the New York Stock Exchange through a $300 million merger with Viking Acquisition Corp.
NorthStar Earth & Space is preparing to go public on the New York Stock Exchange through a $300 million merger with Viking Acquisition Corp.
NASA’s Apollo missions and the Viking missions were planned on the basis of geological mapping.
The NorthStar-Viking merger includes up to 10 million additional earnout shares tied to NorthStar Earth & Space revenue run-rate targets in 2027 and 2028.
NorthStar Earth & Space has entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Viking Acquisition Corp. I.
The NorthStar-Viking transaction includes a fully committed $30 million private investment in public equity led by Cartesian Capital Group and other U.S. and Canadian institutional investors.
The financing includes warrants to acquire an additional 3 million shares and a transfer of 3 million founder shares from the Viking sponsor.
The merger agreement includes a SPAC continuation to Canada that will migrate Viking Acquisition Corp. I’s jurisdiction before the outside closing deadline of January 31, 2027.
Proceeds from the NorthStar-Viking merger and the $30 million PIPE are earmarked for hardware and deployment scale-up.
The NorthStar Earth & Space and Viking Acquisition Corp. I transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.
NorthStar Earth & Space will go public with Viking Acquisition Corp. through a SPAC transaction.
NorthStar Earth & Space plans to go public through a SPAC merger with Viking Acquisition Corp. I valued at $300 million.
Death Valley has served as a Mars analogue site since the 1970s for NASA's Viking landings preparation.
NASA’s twin Viking missions each had an orbiter and lander and had an estimated combined cost of $7,100,000,000 in $2,020 according to an analysis by The Planetary Society.
NASA’s dual Viking landers conducted biology experiments on Mars in 1976 that produced unexpected chemical activity in Martian soil but did not yield clear, widely accepted evidence of living microorganisms.