Scout X-2M was an American expendable launch system which was flown three times between May 1962 and April 1963. It was a four-stage rocket, based on the earlier

Scout X-2 Scout X-2 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket which was flown twice in 1962. It was a four-stage rocket, based on the earlier Scout X-1, uprated first and third stages. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets. T ...

, but with an MG-18 upper stage instead of the

Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila and the twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinised from α Aquilae and abbreviated Alpha Aql ...

used on the X-2. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets. The Scout X-2 was an all-solid rocket, with an Algol 1D first stage, a Castor 1A second stage, an

Antares 2A Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. It has the Bayer designation α Scorpii, which is Latinised to Alpha Scorpii. Often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion", Antares is flanked by σ Scorpii and τ ...

third stage, and an MG-18 fourth stage. It was launched from Launch Complex D at

Point Arguello Point Arguello ( Spanish: ''Punta Argüello'') is a headland on the Gaviota Coast, in Santa Barbara County, California, near the city of Lompoc. The area was first used by the United States Navy in 1959 for the launch of military and soundin ...

, and was used for the launch of P-35 weather satellites. The first Scout X-2M was launched 24 May 1962, carrying P35-1, but failed to reach orbit. The second flight, launched at 11:44 GMT on 23 August, was the only successful launch to be made by an X-2M, placing P35-2 into

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an orbit around Earth with a period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial objects in outer space are in LEO, with an altitude never mor ...

. The final launch, with P35-4 occurred on 26 April 1963, and like the first flight, it failed to reach orbit.

References

* * * * 1962 in spaceflight 1963 in spaceflight X-2 {{rocket-stub