USAF NASA Lockheed AGENA Rocket Vandenberg AFB 1959-1967 200 Launches Keychain

Description

Incredible vintage keychain commemorating the 200th launch of the Agena Rocket in 1967 at Vandenberg Air Force Base (now Vandenberg Space Force Base) which was first launched in 1959. The Agena Rocket was built by Lockheed and used in various programs described below (source wikipedia). This keychain has areas where the gold plating has chipped off, along with some wear to the plating on the keychain clasp and chain. The A in AGENA is worn through to the base metal. Even with the wear, this is a unique and rare item that would be a great addition to any collection.
If additional info or photos are needed, please let me know and I'll respond ASAP. Sold as-is, no returns accepted. Please ask any questions before bidding. Payment is required within 24 hours of close of auction. Item ships within 1 business day following receipt of payment. Good luck!
The
RM-81 Agena
was an
American
rocket
upper stage
and
satellite bus
which was developed by
Lockheed Corporation
initially for the canceled WS-117L
reconnaissance satellite
program.
[1]
Following the split-up of WS-117L into
SAMOS
and
Corona
for image intelligence, and
MIDAS
for early warning, the Agena was later used as an upper stage, and an integrated component, for several programs, including
Corona
reconnaissance satellites
and the
Agena Target Vehicle
used to demonstrate
rendezvous
and docking during
Project Gemini
. It was used as an upper stage on the
Atlas
,
Thor
,
Thorad
and
Titan IIIB
rockets, and considered for others including the
Space Shuttle
[2]
and
Atlas V
. A total of 365 Agena rockets were launched between February 28, 1959
[3]
and February 1987. Only 33 Agenas carried NASA payloads and the vast majority were for DoD programs.