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Originally Posted by tbzep
It came within a minute of the 8 minute 2nd stage burn to obtain orbit before early engine shutdown.
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*Nods* Yes--and even that need not have necessarily resulted in a "Failed to orbit," as such entries read (before the cause, if known, was included in the citation) in the old TRW Space Log issues. For example:
The first Orbiting Astronomical Observatory, OAO-1 (launched 04/08/1966, and still in orbit), was launched by the only Atlas SLV-3B-Agena D (whose oversized payload fairing made it virtually indistinguishable from an Atlas-Centaur). Very late in the Agena D's burn, it lost guidance control and began tumbling; luckily, the spinning was in the vertical plane of the vehicle's trajectory, so it didn't deviate to the left or right. By sheer luck, it achieved exactly the planned 400 nautical mile-high circular orbit at the planned inclination, despite its spinning. OAO-1 also tumbled, after separation from the Agena (due to the physics of rotating bodies). Also:
SpaceX makes use of this effect, deliberately slowly rotating the Starlink satellites-carrying Falcon 9 second stages in a plane tangent to the orbit (the spin axis points to the Earth's center), to ensure slow but steady separations--of the satellites from the second stage, and of the satellites from each other. Unfortunately, despite OAO-1's "lucky launch," its power supply failed, and it died of electricity starvation just a few hours later. (OAO-1 would make an interesting "rescue/upgrade" target for a Falcon 9/Dragon in-orbit servicing mission; its telescope door was never opened in orbit, so its multiple interior telescopes--and all of the other equipment inside--should be in "As New" condition.)