Little Joe 1A (LJ-1A) was an unmanned rocket launched as part of NASA's Mercury program on November 4, 1959. This flight, a repeat of the Little Joe 1 (LJ-1) launch, was to test a launch abort under high aerodynamic load conditions. Due to a delayed in the escape motor startup, the abort maneuver was not accomplished at the desired dynamic pressure, requiring a repeat of the test. November 4, 1959 at 14:30 UTC · Launch was a Partial Failure Little Joe — National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to Suborbital Launch Area 1, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA Program: Mercury Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs. Image via The Space Devs.