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Castor-2
Castor is a family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters built by Thiokol (now Northrop Grumman) and used on a variety of launch vehicles. They were initially developed as the second-stage motor of the Scout rocket. The design was based on the MGM-29 Sergeant, a surface-to-surface missile developed for the United States Army at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Versions Flown versions Castor 1 :The Castor 1 was first used for a successful suborbital launch of a Scout X-1 rocket on September 2, 1960. :It was long, in diameter, and had a burn time of 27 seconds. Castor 1 stages were also used as strap-on boosters for launch vehicles using Thor first stages, including the Delta D. (A Delta-D was used in 1964 to launch Syncom-3, the first satellite placed in a geostationary orbit.) Castor 1 stages were used in 141 launch attempts of Scout and Delta rockets, only 2 of which were failures. They were also used on some thrust-assisted Thor-Agena launchers. The last launch us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scout (rocket)
The Scout family of rockets were American launch vehicles designed to place small satellites into orbit around the Earth. The Scout multistage rocket was the first orbital launch vehicle to be entirely composed of Solid rocket, solid fuel stages. It was also the only vehicle of that type until the successful launch of the Japanese Lambda 4S in 1970. The original Scout (a backronym for Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test system) was designed in 1957 at the NACA, at Langley Research Center, Langley center. Scout launch vehicles were used from 1961 until 1994. To enhance reliability the development team opted to use "off the shelf" hardware, originally produced for military programs. According to the NASA fact sheet: "... the first stage motor was a combination of the Jupiter Senior and the Navy UGM-27 Polaris, Polaris; the second stage came from the Army MGM-29 Sergeant; and the third and fourth stage motors were designed by Langley engineers who adapted a version of the Navy Van ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thor-Agena
Thor-Agena was a series of orbital launch vehicles. The launch vehicles used the Douglas Aircraft Company, Douglas-built Thor (rocket family), Thor first Multistage rocket, stage and the Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed-built RM-81 Agena, Agena second stages. They are thus cousins of the more-famous Thor-Deltas, which founded the Delta (rocket family), Delta rocket family. The first attempted launch of a Thor-Agena was in January 1959. The first successful launch was on 28 February 1959, launching ''Discoverer 1''. It was the first two-stage launch vehicle to place a satellite into orbit. Missions Among other uses, the clandestine CORONA (satellite), CORONA program used Thor-Agena from June 1959 until January 1968 to launch United States military reconnaissance satellites operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). During this program, Thor-Agena launch vehicles were used in 145 launch attempts, now known to have been part of satellite surveillance programs. Also, ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Athena RTV
The Athena RTV was a research missile, developed by Atlantic Research Co., designed to simulate the re-entry conditions of intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was primarily launched from Green River, targeting White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, covering a range of 760 km. Later flights from Wallops Island impacted into the sea. The missile, spin-stabilized, consisted of four stages: the first two lifting the payload to about 200 km, and the third and fourth stages accelerating it to a peak velocity of 6700 m/s on the downward trajectory. Configuration was as follows: two Recruit boosters, one Castor-1 stage, one Pedro (TX-261-3) stage, one Alcor stage and one Alcyone (BE-3B1) stage. The project began in February 1964 and included launches over nine years, with a total of 141 Athena launched to test re-entry vehicles and study their behavior. By August 1965, 85 flights were completed, and the program ran until 1969. The US Army managed the test range, while the USAF ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
N-I (rocket)
The N-I or N-1 was a derivative of the American Thor-Delta rocket, produced under license in Japan. The N stood for "Nippon" (Japan). It used a Thor (rocket), Long Tank Thor first stage, a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries-designed :ja:LE-3, LE-3 engine on the second stage, and three Castor (rocket), Castor SRMs. Seven were launched between 1975 and 1982, before it was replaced by the N-II (rocket), N-II. Six of the seven launches were successful, however on the fifth flight, there was recontact between the satellite and the third stage, which caused the satellite to fail. On 29 February 1976, the second N-I conducted the only orbital launch, as of 17 February 2024, to occur on a leap day. Launch history Payload Descriptions Engineering Test Satellite I "KIKU-1" (ETS-1) ETS-1 was the first satellite launched by the National Space Development Agency of Japan, NASDA. It had the objective of acquiring information on N-series launch vehicles, orbit injection, and tracking and cont ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
N-II (rocket)
The N-II or N-2 was a derivative of the American Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ... rocket, produced under licence in Japan. It replaced the N-I-rocket in Japanese use. It used a Thor-ELT first stage, a Delta-F second stage, nine Castor SRMs, and on most flights either a Star-37E or Burner-2 upper stage, identical to the US Delta 0100 series configurations. Eight were launched between 1981 and 1987, before it was replaced by the H-I, which featured Japanese-produced upper stages. All eight launches were successful. Launch history See also * Comparison of orbital launchers families * Delta rocket * H-I * H-II * H-IIA * N-I rocket * PGM-17 Thor References * * * Mitsubishi Heavy Industries space launch vehicles Thor (rocket family) Vehicles int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Delta II
Delta II was an expendable launch system, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, and sometimes known as the Thorad Delta 1. Delta II was part of the Delta rocket family, derived directly from the Delta 3000, and entered service in 1989. There were two main variants, the Delta 6000 and Delta 7000, with the latter also having "Light" and "Heavy" subvariants. During its career, Delta II flew several notable payloads, including 24 Global Positioning System (GPS) GPS satellite blocks, Block II satellites, several dozen NASA payloads, and 60 Iridium communication satellites. The rocket flew its final mission, ICESat-2, on 15 September 2018, earning the launch vehicle a streak of 100 successful missions in a row, with the last failure being GPS IIR-1 in 1997. In the late 1990s, Delta II was developed further into the unsuccessful Delta III, which was in turn developed into the more capable and successful Delta IV, though the latter shares little heritage with the original ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atlas II
Atlas II was a member of the Atlas family of launch vehicles, which evolved from the successful Atlas missile program of the 1950s. The Atlas II was a direct evolution of the Atlas I, featuring longer first-stage tanks, higher-performing engines, and the option for strap-on solid rocket boosters. It was designed to launch payloads into low Earth orbit, geosynchronous transfer orbit or geosynchronous orbit. Sixty-three launches of the Atlas II, IIA and IIAS models were carried out between 1991 and 2004; all sixty-three launches were successes, making the Atlas II a highly reliable space launch system. The Atlas line was continued by the Atlas III, used between 2000 and 2005, and the Atlas V, which is still in use . Background In May 1988, the US Air Force chose General Dynamics (now Lockheed Martin) to develop the Atlas II vehicle, primarily to launch Defense Satellite Communications System payloads under the Medium Launch Vehicle II (MLV-II) p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maxus (rocket)
Maxus is a sounding rocket used in the MAXUS microgravity rocket programme, a joint venture between the Swedish Space Corporation and EADS Astrium Space Transportation used by ESA. It is launched from Esrange, Esrange Space Center in Sweden and provides access to microgravity for up to 14 minutes. Technical characteristics *Overall length: 15.5 m *Overall mass: 12 400 kg *Payload mass: approx. 800 kg *Max. velocity: 3500 m/s *Max. acceleration: 15 g *Propellant mass: 10 042 kg *Motor burn time: 63 s *Microgravity: up to 14 minutes *Apogee: > 700 km *Thrust (max. in vacuum): 500 kN Missions See also *TEXUS, Texus *Maser (rocket), Maser *Rexus/Bexus *Esrange References {{rocket-stub Sounding rockets of Sweden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capricornio (rocket)
Capricornio was a Spanish satellite launch vehicle developed by the '' Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial'' (''INTA'') in the 1990s. It was intended to be Spain's first launcher. Work on Capricornio started in 1990, INTA choosing to pursue a three-stage configuration. In concept, the launcher was to be a low-cost solution capable of placing up to 70 kg payloads, such as microsatellites, into 600 km polar orbits, or alternatively 60 to 140 kg payloads into low Earth orbit. In conjunction, INTA sought to establish the El Hierro Launch Centre from which it envisioned Capricornio being launched on a commercial basis. There were allegations that aspects of Capricornio's design, such as its guidance system, had been derived from Condor missile developed by Argentina during the 1980s. The Capricornio programme involved three phases, starting with the development of suitable rocket motors, progressing to the use of Capricornio's second and third stages together a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Esrange
, , , , , , , , , Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located about 40 kilometers east of the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high-altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things. Located 200 km north of the Arctic Circle and surrounded by a vast wilderness, its geographic location is ideal for many of these purposes. Esrange was built in 1964 by ESRO, the ''European Space Research Organisation'', which later became European Space Agency by merging with ELDO, the European Launcher Development Organisation. The first rocket launch from Esrange occurred on 19 November 1966. In 1972, ownership was transferred to the newly started Swedish Space Corporation. History In the 1960s, Esrange was established as an ESRO sounding rocket launching range located in Kiruna. This location was chosen because it was generally agreed that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
