Jupiter-C

Jupiter-C
Jupiter-C on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral
FunctionSounding rocket
ManufacturerChrysler for the ABMA
Country of originUnited States
Size
Height69.9 feet (21.3 m)
Diameter5.8 feet (1.8 m)
Mass64,000 pounds (29,000 kg)
Stages3
Capacity
Payload to Sub-orbital
Mass11 kg (24 lb)
Launch history
StatusRetired
Launch sitesLC-5 and 6, Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida
Total launches3 (all suborbital)
Success(es)1 (suborbital)
Failure(s)1 (suborbital)
Partial failure(s)1 (suborbital)
First flightSeptember 20, 1956
Last flightAugust 8, 1957
First stage – Redstone (stretched)
Powered by1 North American Aviation (Rocketdyne) 75-110-A-7
Maximum thrust93,560 lbf; 416.18 kN (42,439 kgf)
Specific impulse235 s (2.30 km/s)
Burn time155 s
PropellantLOX/Hydyne
Second stage – Sergeant cluster
Powered by11 Solid
Maximum thrust16,500 lbf; 73.4 kN (7,480 kgf)
Specific impulse214 s (2.10 km/s)
Burn time6 s
Third stage – Sergeant cluster
Powered by3 Solid
Maximum thrust2,040 kgf (4,500 lbf; 20.0 kN)
Specific impulse214 s (2.10 km/s)
Burn time6 s

The Jupiter-C was an American research and development vehicle[1][2] developed from the Jupiter-A.[3] Jupiter-C was used for three uncrewed sub-orbital spaceflights in 1956 and 1957 to test re-entry nosecones that were later to be deployed on the more advanced PGM-19 Jupiter mobile missile. The recovered nosecone was displayed in the Oval Office as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's televised speech on November 7, 1957.[4]

A member of the Redstone rocket family, Jupiter-C was designed by the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA), under the direction of Wernher von Braun.[5] Three Jupiter-C flights were made. These were followed by satellite launches with the vehicle designated as Juno I (see Juno I below or the Juno I article).[6][7] All were launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

  1. ^ "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – 1957". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  2. ^ "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Jupiter". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  3. ^ "Rockets and Missiles". SpaceLine.org. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
  4. ^ Yanek Mieczkowski, 'Cheerleader in Chief, in Eisenhower’s Sputnik Moment: The Race for Space and World Prestige, pp. 105–106.
  5. ^ "Jupiter-C Explorer-I". NASA.
  6. ^ "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Redstone Rocket". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-15.
  7. ^ "Redstone Arsenal Historical Information – Explorer I". United States Army. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2015-05-15.