Function | sounding rocket[1] |
---|---|
Manufacturer | NASA |
Country of origin | United States |
Size | |
Height | 5.60 m |
Diameter | 0.35 m |
Mass |
|
Stages | 1 |
Launch history | |
Launch sites | Wallops, White Sands, Poker Flat, Andoya, Esrange, Barreira do Inferno |
First stage | |
Thrust | 7 kN |
Orion is the designation of a small American sounding rocket. The Orion has a length of 5.60 meters, a diameter of 0.35 m, a launch weight of 400 kg, a launch thrust of 7 kN and a ceiling of 85 kilometers. The Orion, built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, is also used as an upper stage of sounding rockets, usually paired with a Terrier missile as the first stage,[2][3][4] although Nike, Taurus and VS-30 rockets are also used.[5]
Two Orion versions exist:[5]
The sounding rocket is launched from Wallops Flight Facility, White Sands, Poker Flat Rocket Range, Andoya Rocket Range, Esrange and Barreira do Inferno.[2][6][5]