Summary
Malemute is the designation of an American sounding rocket family.[1] The original Malemute had a maximum flight altitude of 165 km, a liftoff thrust of 57.00 kN, a total mass of 100 kg, a diameter of 0.41 m and a total length of 2.40 m.[1] It was a single stage vehicle powered by a Thiokol Malemute TU-758 engine, [1] operated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).[1]
It was used for used for conducting upper atmosphere research in various missions to study phenomena such as auroras, ionosphere and cosmic radiation. Over the years more advanced versions were developed.[2][3][4]
Versions edit
Improved versions exist, with the addition of a second stages and using different first stage engines.[2][3][5][6][7][8]
| Version | First Stage | Second Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Malemute[1] | TU-758 | - |
| Malemute-2 | TU-758 | - |
| Improved Malemute (PAAT)[3] | TX-486-1 | - |
| Improved Malemute Improved Malemute (IM/IM) | TX-486-1 | TX-486-1 |
| Improved Malemute Improved Orion (IM/IO) | TX-486-1 | M112 |
| 29. Terrier-Malemute[7] | Terrier mk.12 | TU-758 |
| 46. Terrier-imp. Malemute[8][5] | Terrier mk.70 | TX-486-1 |
| S31
Improved Malemute (S31/IM) |
S31 | TX-486-1 |
| Red Kite (RK/IM)
Improved Malemute |
RK | TX-486-1 |
Launches edit
Malemute rockets were launched from Andøya Space Center, ESRANGE, Kauai Test Facility, Tonopah Test Range and White Sands Missile Range.[2]
| Date | Rocket Version | Launch Site | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22.07.1976 | Malemute | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-006 |
| 24.07.1976 | Malemute | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-007 |
| 19.04.1979 | Malemute-2 | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-009 |
| 01.07.1999 | Malemute-2 | Kauai Test Facility | TMBD Target (Slugger) |
| 30.06.2016 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | MaxiDusty 1 (IM QUAL 1) |
| 08.07.2016 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | MaxiDusty 1B (IM QUAL 2) |
| 13.04.2018 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 1 |
| 13.04.2018 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 2 |
| 20.02.2020 | Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | SPIDER 2 |
| 24.05.2021 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | MAPHEUS 11 |
| 12.08.2021 | Improved Malemute | White Sands Missile Range | ET-2 (Economical Target 2) |
| 07.09.2021 | Improved Malemute | White Sands Missile Range | ET-2 (Economical Target 2) |
| 01.10.2021 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 3 |
| 01.10.2021 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 4 |
| 06.12.2021 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | MAPHEUS 10 |
| 29.01.2022 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | MAPHEUS 9 |
| 21.10.2022 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | MAPHEUS 12 |
| 23.03.2023 | Improved Malemute Improved Orion | ESRANGE | BROR |
| 22.05.2023 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | ESRANGE | MAPHEUS 13 |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e "Malemute". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ a b c "Malemute". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ a b c "Imp. Malemute". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
- ^ Koehler, Keith; NASA. "NASA completes investigation of July 2014 Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket failure". phys.org. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b "NASA Types of Sounding Rockets". NASA.gov/Types of Sounding Rockets.
- ^ "DLR MoRaBa, mission calendar". DLR MoRaBa.
- ^ a b "Terrier Malemute". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.
- ^ a b "Terrier Improved Malemute". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2024-03-19.