| PWN-9 Kangaroo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Function: | Sounding rocket | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer: | United Technologies Corporation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country-Origin: | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 10feet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Diameter: | 6.5inches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages: | Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Status: | Cancelled | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sites: | Point Mugu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First: | 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stagedata: |
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The XPWN-9A Kangaroo was a project to develop a sounding rocket intended for use by the United States Navy. Using an unconventional design, flight tests were unsuccessful, and it was not put into production.
The Kangaroo was designed as a "boosted dart" type rocket, the unpropelled "dart" containing the payload being housed within the solid booster rocket's propellant, where, upon burnout, it would be ejected from the rocket by a pyrotechnic device.[1] Rail launched, Kangaroo was intended to be used to measure radiation levels and the density of micrometeorites prior to the launch of crewed space flights.[2]
The initial design of what was then called Kangaroo-Dart was developed by the Aeromachnics Branch of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range.[1] Detailed design was performed by Aerojet;[3] however when bids for developing the prototype, given the designation XPWN-9A, were requested, United Technologies Corporation submitted the winning bid and was given a contract for construction of prototypes in November 1969.[3]
Flight trials of the Kangaroo booster were undertaken at the Pacific Missile Range at Point Mugu; they proved unsuccessful, and production of the rocket was not undertaken.[3]