Nike (rocket stage)

Sounding rockets based on Nike

• The Nike Deacon has a ceiling of 189 km, a takeoff thrust of 217 kN, a takeoff weight of 710 kg, a diameter of 0.42 m and a length of 7.74 m.
• The Nike Javelin was launched 34 times between 1964 and 1978. The maximum flight altitude of the Nike Javelin was 130 km, the takeoff thrust 217 kN, takeoff weight 900 kg, 0.42 m and length 8.20 m.
• The Nike Malemute consists of a Nike starting stage and a Malemute upper stage. It has a ceiling of 500 km, a takeoff thrust of 48,800 lbf, a takeoff weight of 1,000 kg, a diameter of 0.42 m and a length of 8.60 m.
• The Nike Orion has a Nike base stage, taken from U.S. Army surplus stocks, and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9.01 m long. There are two stages of boosters; the first is 41.9 cm, and the second is 35.6 cm. It has a launch weight of 1100 kilograms, a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km. The first Nike-Orion rocket was launched on February 26, 1977 and had more than 175 launches through the 2000s.

• The Nike Recruit has an apogee of 5 km, a liftoff thrust of 217 kN, a total mass of 1100 kg and a total length of 8.00 m.
• The Nike Tomahawk has a Nike rocket as the first stage, and a Tomahawk rocket as the second. The Nike Tomahawk has a ceiling of 230 statute miles, a payload capacity of 100 pounds, a launch thrust of 49,000 pounds of force, a launch weight of 2,200 pounds, a diameter of 17 inches and a length of 35 feet 5 inches. The Nike Tomahawk was launched 395 times between June 25, 1963 and November 27, 1995. One of its launches was in 1966 on the beach in Cassino, Rio Grande, Brazil.
• The Nike Viper consists of a Nike starting stage and a Viper upper stage. The Nike Viper has a ceiling of 80 km, a takeoff thrust of 217 kN, a takeoff weight of 600 kg and a length of 8.00 m.