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 The Mesquito sounding rocket | |
| Function | Sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NSROC |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | LC-2, Wallops Island |
| Total launches | 3 |
| Success(es) | 2 |
| 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 (229 mm) solid propellant rocket motor from surplus M26 MLRS artillery rocket as the first-stage. The non-propulsive second-stage dart contains a free-flying structural body that includes an avionics suite and an experiment space with interface. [2]
The maiden flight occurred on 6 May, 2008, from LC-2 at the Wallops Flight Facility. After three test launches, the project was shelved. [2]
Launch history
| Date | Time (GMT) | S/N | Mission | Apogee | Outcome | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-06 | 18:08 | 12.065 | Test | 85 km | Success | Maiden flight [3] |
| 2008-05-07 | 19:18 | 12.066 | Test | 15 km | Failure | Loss of control following burnout [3] |
| 2009-12-16 | 13:46 | 12.068 | Test | 90 km | Success | Dart pinned to first stage [2] [4] |
References
- ^ "Mesquito". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
- ^ a b c Krebs, Gunter Dirk. "Mesquito". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
- ^ a b Flowers, Betty; Powell, Rebecca (2008-05-12). "Mesquito Launches" (PDF). Inside Wallops. Vol. XX-08, no. 17. NASA Wallops Flight Facility. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ "12.068 - Mesquito test flight" (PDF). Rocket Report. Fourth Quarter 2009. p. 1.
- "Sounding Rocket Technology Development". NASA. Archived from the original on 2008-05-20.
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