The flight failed to reach orbit due to premature cutoff of the second stage rocket engine.

[1] The second stage was a 5.8 metres high, 0.8 metres diameter Aerojet General AJ-10 liquid engine burning 1520 kg Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) and White Inhibited Fuming Nitric Acid (WIFNA) with a helium pressurant tank.

The spherical shell was magnesium, internally gold-plated and externally covered with an aluminum deposit coated with highly polished silicon monoxide of sufficient thickness to provide thermal control for the instrumentation.

Below the package at the bottom of the sphere was the separation device, a spring loaded tube with a timer designed to push the satellite away from the third stage after orbit was reached.

Four 76 cm (30 in) spring-loaded metal rods were folded along the equator of the sphere and would protrude radially outward when deployed, acting as a turnstile antenna.

The investigation concluded that scale from the second stage oxidizer tank had clogged propellant feed lines and resulted in loss of thrust.

The premature shutdown caused the propellant tank pressures to exceed design values without failing, proving the structural integrity of the tankage.