Viking (rocket)

Viking
Launch of Viking 10 on 7 May 1954
FunctionResearch sounding rocket
ManufacturerGlenn L. Martin Company
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height15 m (49 ft); 13 m (43 ft)
Diameter81 cm (32 in); 114 cm (45 in)
Stages1
Capacity
Payload to {{{to}}}
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sites
Total launches12
Success(es)7
Failure(s)1
Partial failure(s)4
First flight3 May 1949
Last flight4 February 1955
First stage
Powered byReaction Motors XLR10-RM-2
Maximum thrust92.5 kN (20,800 lbf) (sea level)
110.5 kN (24,800 lbf) (vacuum)
Specific impulse179.6 s (1.761 km/s)
Burn time103 seconds
PropellantEthyl alcohol and liquid oxygen

Viking was a series of twelve sounding rockets designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company under the direction of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Designed to supersede the German V-2 as a research vehicle, the Viking was the most advanced large, liquid-fueled rocket developed in the United States in the late 1940s, providing much engineering experience while returning valuable scientific data from the edge of space between 1949 and 1955. Viking 4, launched in 1950, was the first sounding rocket to be launched from the deck of a ship.

After twelve flights, the Viking was adapted into the first stage for the Vanguard satellite launch vehicle, which launched America's second satellite into orbit in 1958.