First All-Solid-Propellant Rocket Put into Orbit
On this day in history, 1961, the first all-solid-propellant rocket was launched into orbit from Wallops Island, VA. The rocket was the first Scout (Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test system) rocket put into space. It carried the Explorer 9, a 7-kg satellite used for atmospheric density studies.
Scouts were used from 1961 until 1994. The typical Scout launch vehicle was a solid propellant, four-stage booster system, roughly 75 feet in length with a launch weight of 47,398 pounds.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense