&sq=&lang=&file=File:Viking_10-12.jpg) Launch of Viking 10 on 7 May 1954 | |
| Function | Research sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Glenn L. Martin Company |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 15 m (49 ft); 13 m (43 ft) |
| Diameter | 81 cm (32 in); 114 cm (45 in) |
| Stages | 1 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to {{{to}}} | |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites |
|
| Total launches | 12 |
| Success(es) | 7 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| Partial failure(s) | 4 |
| First flight | 3 May 1949 |
| Last flight | 4 February 1955 |
| First stage | |
| Powered by | Reaction Motors XLR10-RM-2 |
| Maximum thrust | 92.5 kN (20,800 lbf) (sea level) 110.5 kN (24,800 lbf) (vacuum) |
| Specific impulse | 179.6 s (1.761 km/s) |
| Burn time | 103 seconds |
| Propellant | Ethyl 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.