Orion (rocket)

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Orion
One of the first Orion rockets (HAWK at the time) shortly after launch.
Functionsounding rocket[1]
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Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 555: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).United States
Size
Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 555: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).5.60 m
Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 555: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).0.35 m
Stages1
Launch history
Launch sitesWallops, White Sands, Poker Flat, Andoya, Esrange, Barreira do Inferno
First stage
Thrust7 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]

Incidents

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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]

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References

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  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Patricia Tanner, Update, Air & Space/Smithsonian, Vol. 2 No. 3 (August/September 1987), p. 21