Scout X-2 Explained

Manufacturer:Vought
Country-Origin:United States
Stages:Four
Family:Scout
Status:Retired
Sites:Wallops LA-3
Point Arguello LC-D
Launches:2
Success:1
Fail:1
First:1962-03-29
Last:1962-04-26
Capacities:
Location:LEO
Stagedata:
Type:Stage
Stageno:First
Burntime:44 seconds
Type:Stage
Stageno:Second
Si:247 sec
Burntime:27 seconds
Type:Stage
Stageno:Third
Si:293 sec
Burntime:36 seconds
Type:Stage
Stageno:Fourth
Si:255 sec
Burntime:40 seconds

Scout X-2 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket which was flown twice in 1962. It was a four-stage rocket, based on the earlier Scout X-1, uprated first and third stages. It was a member of the Scout family of rockets.

The Scout X-2 used an Algol 1D first stage, instead of the earlier Algol 1B used on the Scout X-1. The third stage was the Antares 2A, a more powerful version of the Antares 1A used on earlier variants of the Scout rocket. The second and fourth stages were the same as those used on the Scout X-1; a Castor 1A and an Altair 1A respectively.

The first Scout X-2 was launched on a suborbital flight at 07:27 GMT on 29 March 1962. It flew from Launch Area 3 of the Wallops Flight Facility. The flight carried plasma and aeronomy experiments to an apogee of, and was successful. The second flight, launched on 26 April, carried the Solrad 4B satellite. It failed to reach orbit. Following this launch, the Scout X-2 was replaced by the upgraded Scout X-2M.

References