 The Mesquito sounding rocket | |
| Function | Sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NSROC |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | LC-2, Wallops Island |
| Total launches | 2 |
| Success(es) | 1 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| First flight | 6 May 2008 |
The Mesquito is an American sounding rocket vehicle developed for the NASA Sounding Rocket Program on Wallops Island, Virginia. The Mesquito was developed to provide rocket-borne measurements of the mesospheric region of the upper atmosphere.[1] An area of great science interest is in the 82–95 km region, where the conventional understanding of atmospherics physics is being challenged.
The Mesquito is a two-stage sounding rocket using a 9-inch-diameter (230 mm) solid propellant rocket motor as the first-stage propulsion device. The non-propulsive second-stage dart contains a free-flying structural body that includes an avionics suite and an experiment space with interface.
The maiden flight occurred on 6 May, 2008, from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility.
Launch history
| Date | Time (GMT) | S/N | Mission | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-06 | 18:00-20:00 | 12.065 | Test | Success | Maiden flight[2] |
| 2008-05-07 | 18:00-20:00 | 12.066 | Test | Failure | Loss of control following burnout[2] |
References
- ↑ "Mesquito". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- 1 2 Flowers, Betty; Rebecca Powell (2008-05-12). "Inside Wallops" (PDF). Volume XX-08, Issue 17. NASA Wallops Flight Facility. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- "Sounding Rocket Technology Development". NASA. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20.