Orion (rocket)

This article is about the American sounding rocket. For the Argentinian sounding rocket, see Orión (rocket). For the spacecraft, see Orion (spacecraft). For other uses, see Orion.

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]

Orion

One of the first Orion rockets (HAWK at the time) shortly after launch.
Function	sounding rocket[1]
Manufacturer	NASA
Country of origin	United States
Size
Height	5.60 m
Diameter	0.35 m
Mass	400 kg
Stages	1
Launch history
Launch sites	Wallops, White Sands, Poker Flat, Andoya, Esrange, Barreira do Inferno
First stage
Thrust	7 kN

Two Orion versions exist:^[5]

• Orion, using a Aerojet M22E8 dual-thrust motor (from the MIM-23A Hawk missile).
• Improved Orion using a Aerojet M112 dual-thrust motor (from the MIM-23B I-Hawk missile).

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]

Incidents

A lightning storm over the Wallops launch pad on 9 June 1987 ignited a NASA Orion rocket and 2 other sounding rockets. The Orion flew horizontally about 300 feet into the ocean. The sounding rockets rose to around 15,000 feet altitude, then fell about 2 miles from the launch pad. No persons were hurt in the incident.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Orion carrying experiments developed by students (June 8, 2006)
• 
  Improved Orion scheme
• 
  Improved Orion just after launch.
• 
  Improved Orion launch