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 fuel stages. It was also the only vehicle of that type until the successful launch of the Japanese Lambda 4S in 1970.
The Kosmos rockets were a series of Soviet and subsequently Russian rockets,derived from the R-12 and R-14 missiles,the best known of which is the Kosmos-3M,which has made over 440 launches. The Kosmos family contained a number of rockets,both carrier rockets and sounding rockets,for orbital and sub-orbital spaceflight respectively. The first variant,the Kosmos-2I,first flew on 27 October 1961. Over 700 Kosmos rockets have been launched overall.
The Minotaur is a family of United States solid fuel launch vehicles derived from converted Minuteman and Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). They are built by Northrop Grumman via contract with the Space Force's Space Systems Command as part of the Space Force's Rocket Systems Launch Program (RSLP) which converts retired Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles into space and test launch systems for U.S. government agencies.
This article lists all active and upcoming orbital launch systems. For retired launch vehicles,see Comparison of retired orbital launch systems.
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.
Minotaur IV,also known as Peacekeeper SLV and OSP-2 PK is an active expendable launch system derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper ICBM. It is operated by Northrop Grumman Space Systems,and made its maiden flight on 22 April 2010,carrying the HTV-2a Hypersonic Test Vehicle. The first orbital launch occurred on 26 September 2010 with the SBSS satellite for the United States Air Force.
The Thor DSV-2 was a series of sounding rockets,test vehicles,and anti-satellite weapons derived from the Thor Intermediate-range ballistic missile. It was also used as the first stage of several Thor-derived expendable launch systems.
The Vostok-K,GRAU index 8K72K was an expendable carrier rocket used by the Soviet Union for thirteen launches between 1960 and 1964,six of which were crewed. It was derived from the earlier Vostok-L;however,it featured uprated engines to improve performance,and enlarge its payload capacity. It was a member of the Vostok family of rockets.
The Minotaur III,also known as OSP-2 Target Launch Vehicle,Peacekeeper TLV,or OSP-2 TLV was an American rocket concept derived from the LGM-118 Peacekeeper missile. It was a member of the Minotaur family of rockets produced by Orbital Sciences Corporation and would have been used for long-range suborbital launches with heavy payloads. The Minotaur III was to be capable of launching 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb) of payload 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi) downrange. This role has been taken over by the near-identical Minotaur IV Lite and the lighter-lift Minotaur II.
Orbiting Vehicle or OV,originally designated SATAR,comprised five disparate series of standardized American satellites operated by the US Air Force,launched between 1965 and 1971. Forty seven satellites were built,of which forty three were launched and thirty seven reached orbit. With the exception of the OV3 series and OV4-3,they were launched as secondary payloads,using excess space on other missions. This resulted in extremely low launch costs and short proposal-to-orbit times. Typically,OV satellites carried scientific and/or technological experiments,184 being successfully orbited through the lifespan of the program.
OPS 0855,also designated OV4-3,was an American boilerplate Manned Orbiting Laboratory spacecraft launched in 1966. It was flown to demonstrate the launch configuration for future MOL missions. A number of research payloads,designated Manifold,were carried on board,which were intended to operate for 75 days. However,the spacecraft ceased operations after just 30 days. It was built from a decommissioned HGM-25A Titan I first stage oxidizer tank,bolted to a Transtage. It was part of the MOL and Orbiting Vehicle projects.
The NOTS-EV-2 Caleb,also known as NOTS-500,Hi-Hoe and SIP was an expendable launch system,which was later used as a sounding rocket and prototype anti-satellite weapon. It was developed by the United States Navy's Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) as a follow-up to the NOTS-EV-1 Pilot,which had been abandoned following ten launches officially classified as failed missions. Two were launched in July and October 1960,before the cancellation of the project. Following cancellation,two leftover Calebs were used in the Satellite Interceptor Program (SIP),while three more were used as sounding rockets,under the designation Hi-Hoe. These derivatives flew until July 1962,when the Hi-Hoe made its final flight.
Scout X,also known as Cub Scout,was an American rocket which served as a prototype of the Scout,which was launched on a single test flight in 1960. It was used to test the configuration that later Scout rockets would use as well as two of the solid rocket motors that would be used on them.
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 RM-90 Blue Scout II was an American sounding rocket and expendable launch system which was flown three times during 1961. It was used for two HETS test flights,and the launch of the Mercury-Scout 1 satellite for NASA. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.
Scout X-1A was an American sounding rocket which was flown in 1962. It was a five-stage derivative of the earlier Scout X-1,with an uprated first stage,and a NOTS-17 upper stage.
Launch Area 3 (LA-3) at the Wallops Flight Facility is a launch complex which was used,mostly by Scout rockets,between 1960 and 1985. Forty-one Scout launches occurred from the complex,making both orbital and suborbital. In addition,four Nike sounding rockets were launched from the complex in 1970.
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,but with an MG-18 upper stage instead of the Altair used on the X-2. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.
The Scout X-2B was an American expendable launch system which was flown during 1963. It was a four-stage rocket,based on the earlier Scout X-2,but with an Altair 2A fourth stage in place of the Altair 1A used on the X-2. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.
The Terrier Malemute is a two-stage American sounding rocket typically used for smaller payloads. Both the Terrier first stage and the Malemute second stage use solid fuel. The Terrier burns for approximately 5.2 seconds,and the Malemute burns for approximately 21.5 seconds. The first stage booster consists of a surplus Navy Terrier MK 12 Mod 1 rocket motor with four 0.22 m2 (340 sq in) fin panels arranged in a cruciform configuration. The Terrier rocket booster has a diameter of 460 mm (18 in). The second stage solid rocket is a Thiokol Malemute TU-758 rocket motor,specially designed for high altitude research rocket applications. Apogee is approximately 400 km (220 nmi) for a 230 kg (510 lb) payload or 700 km (380 nmi) for a 41 kg (90 lb) payload. For a payload weight of 200 lb (91 kg),the acceleration during the boost phase is 26 g. Its first flight was on November 11,1974,from Barking Sands. Other launch sites have included Poker Flat,Wallops Island and Fort Yukon,Alaska.
