Taurus Tomahawk, in

rocketry Rocketry may refer to: Science and technology * The design and construction of rockets ** The hobbyist or (semi-)professional use of model rockets * Aerospace engineering, also known as rocket science * Amateur rocketry, a hobby in which partici ...

is a two-stage

sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are used to ...

, consisting of a

Taurus Taurus is Latin for 'bull' and may refer to: * Taurus (astrology), the astrological sign * Taurus (constellation), one of the constellations of the zodiac * Taurus (mythology), one of two Greek mythological characters named Taurus * ''Bos taurus ...

first stage and a TE-416 Tomahawk upper stage. Taurus Tomahawks were used between 1978 and 1987. The Taurus Tomahawk could carry 60 lb of

payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...

to an altitude of 365 miles. The launch

thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that syst ...

of the Taurus Tomahawk amounted to 82000 lb, the launch weight 3550 lb, the diameter of 23 inches and the overall length of 30.79 feet.

External links

Taurus Tomahawk
Sounding rockets of the United States {{rocket-stub