The RM-90 Blue Scout II was an American
sounding rocket and
expendable launch system
An expendable launch system (or expendable launch vehicle/ELV) is a launch vehicle that can be launched only once, after which its components are destroyed during reentry or impact with Earth, or discarded in space. ELVs typically consist of s ...
which was flown three times during 1961.
It was a member of the
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
** Scouts BSA, sect ...
family of rockets. Blue Scout II was a military version of the
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
-operated
Scout X-1
Scout X-1 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket which was flown seven times between August 1960 and October 1961. Four orbital and three suborbital launches were made, with four of the launches resulting in failures.
The ...
, with adjustments to the payload fairings, engine nozzles and fins.
Blue Scout II had a total length of 21.65 m and a finspan of 2.84 m.
It was capable of sending a 30 kg payload to a 300 km orbit at 28.00 degrees.
It was a four stage vehicle, with the following engines:
* Stage 1:
Algol 1B, solid propellant;
* Stage 2:
Castor 2 (TX-354-3), solid propellant;
* Stage 3:
Antares 1A (Star 31/X-254), solid propellant;
* Stage 4:
Altair 1A (X-248), solid propellant.
Blue Scout II was used for two
HETS test flights, and the launch of the
Mercury-Scout 1 satellite for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
.
This rocket and
RM-89 Blue Scout I were replaced by
Blue Scout Junior.
Blue Scout II parameters
Launches
All three Blue Scout II launches occurred from
Launch Complex 18B at the
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) is an installation of the United States Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45, located on Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida.
Headquartered at the nearby Patrick Space Force Base, the sta ...
, the same launch pad used for the
Blue Scout I.
The first two launches were successfully conducted on 3 March and 12 April 1961 respectively, using vehicles D-4 and D-5.
They both carried
HETS A2 plasma research experiments on
suborbital trajectories.
The third launch was conducted on 1 November, using vehicle D-8, with the
Mercury-Scout 1 satellite for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
, which was intended to reach
low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...
.
The launch failed after the rocket went out of control, and was destroyed by the
range safety officer 43 seconds after liftoff.
References
{{Orbital launch systems
1961 in spaceflight
Blue Scout II
Vought