The Mercury spacecraft, named Friendship 7, was carried to orbit by an Atlas LV-3B launch vehicle lifting off from Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Ameriška odprava v sklopu projekta Mercury je 20. februarja 1962 ponesla v vesolje astronavta Johna Glenna, ki je kot prvi Američan obkrožil Zemljo v vesolju.