Function | Rocket stage |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Aerojet Rocketdyne |
Size | |
Height | 9.4 metres (31 ft) |
Mass | 1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb) |
The Algol family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters is built by Aerojet (now Aerojet Rocketdyne) and used on a variety of launch vehicles. It was developed by Aerojet from the earlier Jupiter Senior and the Navy Polaris programs.[1][2] Upgrades to the Algol motor occurred from 1960 until the retirement of the Scout launch vehicle in 1994.
The Algol family use solid propellant fuel with a loaded mass of 10,705 kg, and produces 470.93 kN of thrust. The motor has a specific Impulse of 236 seconds in a vacuum environment. Variations Algol I, I-D, II, II-A, II-BA popular rating was 40KS-115,000 (52,000 kgf for 40 seconds), also known as Senior.
They were initially developed as the first-stage of propulsion for the Scout rocket, with the design being based on the UGM-27 Polaris, a submarine-launched ballistic missile developed for the United States Navy at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.[3][4]