Wallops Flight Facility Launch Area 3

Summary

Launch Area 3 (LA-3) at the Wallops Flight Facility is a launch complex which was used, mostly by Scout rockets, between 1960 and 1985. Forty-one Scout launches occurred from the complex, making both orbital and suborbital. In addition, four Nike sounding rockets were launched from the complex in 1970.

Launch Area 3
Launch of a Scout X-1 from the original LA-3
Map
Launch siteWallops Flight Facility
Location37°51′02″N 75°28′21″W / 37.8506°N 75.4725°W / 37.8506; -75.4725
Short nameLA-3
OperatorNASA
Total launches45
Launch pad(s)Two
LA-3 (Mk.I) launch history
StatusInactive
Launches22
First launch1960-04-18
Last launch1970-03-07
Associated
rockets
Scout X
Scout X-1
Scout X-1A
Scout X-2
Scout X-3
Scout X-3A
Scout X-4
Scout X-4A
Nike-Apache
Nike-Iroquois
LA-3A (Mk.II) launch history
StatusInactive
Launches23
First launch1964-07-20
Last launch1985-12-13
Associated
rockets
Scout X-3C
Scout X-4
Scout X-4A
Scout X-5C
Scout B
Scout B-1
Scout D-1
Scout G-1

Launch Area 3 contains two launch pads, Area 3 and Area 3A.

Area 3, also known as the Mk.I launcher, was used by eighteen Scout rockets between 1960 and 1964. The first launch from the complex, on 18 April 1960, was the maiden flight of the Scout launch vehicle, using the Scout X configuration. The last Scout launch from the pad occurred on 6 November 1964. On 7 March 1970, a Nike-Apache and four Nike-Iroquois rockets were launched from the complex.

The upgraded Launch Area 3A, or Mk.II launcher, replaced the original Launch Area 3. It was used for twenty-three Scout launches, starting on 20 July 1964. The last launch from the complex occurred on 13 December 1985.

Launches edit

List of launches from Area 3, Mk.I launcher:[1]

Date Launch Vehicle Mission Apogee Details
1960 April 18 Scout X Cub Scout test Live first and third stages, broke up after first stage burnout.
1960 July 2 Scout X-1 Test mission 1380 km Failure.
1960 October 4 Scout X-1 Radiation Probe Plasma mission 5600 km
1960 December 4 Scout X-1 Explorer (9) S 56 Second stage malfunction.
1961 February 16 Scout X-1 Explorer 9 Third stage failed ignition, vehicle destroyed.
1961 August 25 Scout X-1 Explorer 13 Partial failure.
1961 October 19 Scout X-1 P-21 Plasma / aeronomy mission 6855 km
1962 March 1 Scout X-1A Reentry 1 re-entry vehicle test flight 214 km
1962 March 29 Scout X-2 P-21A Plasma / aeronomy mission 6291 km Late stage 3 ignition.
1962 December 16 Scout X-3A Explorer 16
1963 May 22 Scout X-3 RFD-1 re-entry vehicle test flight 145 km
1963 June 28 Scout X-4 GRS Failure.
1963 July 20 Scout X-3A Reentry 3 re-entry vehicle test flight 2 km NASA Scout rocket, intentionally destroyed when it deviated from its course a few seconds after liftoff.
1964 March 27 Scout X-3 Ariel 2
1964 August 18 Scout X-4A Reentry 4A 183 km
1964 November 6 Scout X-4 Explorer 23
1970 March 7 Nike Apache Eclipse aeronomy mission 200 km
1970 March 7 Nike Iroquois Mass spectrometer Eclipse aeronomy mission 76 km
1970 March 7 Nike Iroquois Mass spectrometer Eclipse aeronomy mission 113 km
1970 March 7 Nike Iroquois Mass spectrometer Eclipse aeronomy mission 122 km


List of launches from Area 3A, Mk.II launcher:[2]

Date Launch Vehicle Mission Apogee
1964 July 20 Scout X-4 SERT 1 Technology mission 4002 km
1964 October 9 Scout X-3C RFD-2 re-entry vehicle test flight 132 km
1964 December 15 Scout X-4 San Marco 1 842 km
1965 April 29 Scout X-4 Explorer 27 1309 km
1965 August 10 Scout B SECOR 5 (EGRS 5) 2419 km
1965 November 19 Scout X-4 Explorer 30 856 km
1966 February 10 Scout X-4A Reentry 4B Re-entry vehicle test 175 km
1966 June 10 Scout B OV3-04 4704 km
1967 October 19 Scout B RAM C-1 Re-entry vehicle test 217 km
1968 March 5 Scout B Explorer 37 (Partial Failure) 433 km
1968 April 27 Scout X-5C Reentry 5 re-entry vehicle test flight 175 km
1968 August 22 Scout B RAM C-2 Re-entry vehicle test 227 km
1970 September 30 Scout B RAM C-3 re-entry vehicle test flight 269 km
1970 November 9 Scout B OFO 1, RM-1, RMS 518, 526 km
1971 June 20 Scout B PAET re-entry vehicle test flight 377 km
1971 July 8 Scout B Explorer 44 632 km
1971 August 16 Scout B-1 Eole 1 836 km
1971 September 20 Scout B BIC Plasma / barium release mission 31479 km
1972 August 13 Scout D-1 Explorer 46 811 km
1976 June 18 Scout D-1 GP-A Physics mission 10230 km
1979 February 18 Scout D-1 SAGE 506 km
1979 June 2 Scout D-1 Ariel 6 383 km
1985 December 13 Scout G-1 USA 13 (ITV 1 ASAT Balloon Target), ITV 1 Balloon A, ITV 1 Balloon B, USA 14 (ITV 2 ASAT Balloon Target) 691, 737, 160, 450 km

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Wallops Island LA3". astronautix.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Wallops Island LA3A". astronautix.com. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  • Wade, Mark. "Wallops Island LA3". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 9 September 2003. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  • Wade, Mark. "Wallops Island LA3A". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  • McDowell, Jonathan. "Scout". Orbital & Suborbital Launch Database. Jonathan's Space Report. Retrieved 22 June 2009.