RM-81 Agena - Agena Target Vehicle

Agena Target Vehicle

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. On later missions, the Agena's engine was fired whilst the Gemini spacecraft was docked, in order to boost the spacecraft to a higher orbit, and to bring it back again. During the Gemini 11 mission, an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 1,375 kilometres (854 mi) was reached, which set an altitude record for manned spaceflight that held until Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the Moon, was launched.