| Discoverer 33 | |
| Mission Type: | Optical reconnaissance |
| Operator: | US Air Force/NRO |
| Mission Duration: | Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft Type: | Corona KH-2 |
| Spacecraft Bus: | Agena-B |
| Manufacturer: | Lockheed |
| Launch Date: | UTC |
| Launch Rocket: | Thor DM-21 Agena-B 329 |
| Launch Site: | Vandenberg LC-75-3-5 |
| Orbit Epoch: | Planned |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Programme: | Discoverer |
| Previous Mission: | Discoverer 32 |
| Next Mission: | Discoverer 34 |
| Programme2: | Corona KH-2 |
| Previous Mission2: | Corona 9021 |
| Next Mission2: | Corona 9027 |
Discoverer 33, also known as Corona 9026, was an American optical reconnaissance satellite which was lost in a launch failure in 1961. It was the eighth of ten Corona KH-2 satellites, based on the Agena-B.[1]
The launch of Discoverer 33 occurred at 19:23 UTC on 23 October 1961. A Thor DM-21 Agena-B rocket was used, flying from Launch Complex 75-3-5 at the Vandenberg Air Force Base.[2] The launch ended in failure after the Agena suffered a hydraulics system malfunction that led to premature main engine shutdown.[3]
Discoverer 33 was intended to have operated in a low Earth orbit. It had a mass of,[4] and was equipped with a panoramic camera with a focal length of, which had a maximum resolution of .[5] It would have recorded images onto 70mm film, and returned this in a Satellite Recovery Vehicle at the end of its mission. The Satellite Recovery Vehicle carried by Discoverer 33 was SRV-553.