Altair (rocket stage)
Encyclopedia
The Altair was a solid-fuel rocket with a fiberglass
casing, initially developed for use as the third stage
of Vanguard rocket
s. It was manufactured by Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
(ABL) as the X-248. It was also sometimes called the Burner 1
.
. Early launches used a stage developed by the Grand Central Rocket Company
, but later launches used the X-248 which enabled the Vanguard to launch more massive payloads.
The X-248 was used as the second stage of some early Thor flights. These vehicles were designated "Thor-Burner
".
Altairs were used as the third stage of early Delta rocket
s.
The fourth stage of the Scout
rocket also used the "Altair" stage.
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
casing, initially developed for use as the third stage
Multistage rocket
A multistage rocket is a rocket that usestwo or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. A tandem or serial stage is mounted on top of another stage; a parallel stage is attached alongside another stage. The result is effectively two or more rockets stacked on top of or...
of Vanguard rocket
Vanguard rocket
The Vanguard rocket was intended to be the first launch vehicle the United States would use to place a satellite into orbit. Instead, the Sputnik crisis caused by the surprise launch of Sputnik 1 led the U.S., after the failure of Vanguard TV3, to quickly orbit the Explorer 1 satellite using a Juno...
s. It was manufactured by Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory
Allegany Ballistics Laboratory located in Rocket Center, West Virginia, is a diverse industrial complex employing some 1,000 people across...
(ABL) as the X-248. It was also sometimes called the Burner 1
Burner (rocket stage)
The Burner and Burner 2 rocket stages have been used as upper stages of launch vehicles such as the Thor-Burner and Delta since 1965. The currently available Burner 2 is powered by a Star 37 solid rocket motor....
.
Uses
The X-248 was one of two third-stage designs used during Project VanguardProject Vanguard
Project Vanguard was a program managed by the United States Naval Research Laboratory , which intended to launch the first artificial satellite into Earth orbit using a Vanguard rocket as the launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Missile Annex, Florida....
. Early launches used a stage developed by the Grand Central Rocket Company
Lockheed Propulsion Company
The Lockheed Propulsion Company was a division of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation located in the Mentone, California area northeast of Redlands, California, adjacent to the Santa Ana River, from 1961 to 1975...
, but later launches used the X-248 which enabled the Vanguard to launch more massive payloads.
The X-248 was used as the second stage of some early Thor flights. These vehicles were designated "Thor-Burner
Thor-Burner
The Thor-Burner was an American expendable launch system, a member of the Thor family. It consisted of a Thor missile, with one or two Burner upper stages. It was used between 1965 and 1976, to orbit a number of satellites, most commonly DMSP weather satellites. Twenty-four were launched, of which...
".
Altairs were used as the third stage of early Delta rocket
Delta rocket
Delta is a versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95 percent success rate. Two Delta launch systems – Delta II and Delta IV – are in active use...
s.
The fourth stage of the Scout
Scout (rocket)
The Scout family of rockets were launch vehicles designed to place small satellites into orbit around the Earth. The Scout multistage rocket was the first orbital launch vehicle to be entirely composed of solid fuel stages....
rocket also used the "Altair" stage.