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Memorandum, photograph, and booklet relating to the launching of Polaris, the United States Navy's first submarine-launched ballistic missile.
The Polaris missile was the United States Navy's first submarine-launched ballistic missile. Serving from 1960 to 1980, the first successful test occurred when USS George Washington (SSBN 598) launched a Polaris missile from a submerged position off Cape Canaveral on July 20, 1960. Subsequent launches improved the missile's technology and increased its capabilities. On November 16, 1963, President John F. Kennedy aboard the USS Observation Island (EAG 154) observed a Polaris launch from a submerged USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619), highlighting the program's importance to national defense. In the late 1970s, these missiles were phased out and replaced with the more advanced Poseidon and Trident missiles.
NASM.2025.0010
1960s
Brian Bourgeois, Gift, 2024, NASM.2025.0010
.01 Cubic feet
National Air and Space Museum Archives
This collection consists of materials related to the launching of the Polaris, the United States Navy's first submarine-launched ballistic missile. Items include an envelope and memorandum from USS George Washington (SSBN 598) dated 1960 as well as a photograph and a booklet documenting President John F. Kennedy aboard the USS Observation Island (EAG 154) to observe the launch from a submerged USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN-619) dated 1963.
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Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
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Polaris Missile Materials [Bourgeois], NASM.2025.0010, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Rocketry
Polaris (Missile)
Collection descriptions
Archival materials