Explorer 16 was the second in the series of micrometeoroid satellites orbited by NASA. Its purpose was to obtain data on the near-earth meteoroid environment, thus providing an accurate estimate of the probability of penetration in spacecraft structures by meteoroids and allowing a more confident definition of the relationship between penetration flux and material thickness to be derived. December 16, 1962 at 14:33 UTC · Launch Successful Scout X-3 — National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to Low Earth Orbit Launch Area 3, Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA The world's 221st orbital launch attempt, and 79th of 1962. Data: Launch Library 2, The Space Devs.