Scout X-1

Scout X-1 was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket, the first all-up version of the Scout family, flown seven times between 1960 and 1961 from Launch Area 3 at the Wallops Flight Facility. It resembled the earlier Scout X test vehicle but had live second and fourth stages in place of battleship versions, and an improved Algol 1B first stage instead of the Algol 1A. Of its seven flights, four were orbital attempts and three were suborbital, and four of the seven ended in failure. On 16 February 1961 a Scout X-1 placed Explorer 9 into Earth orbit, the first successful orbital launch by a Scout rocket. Derivatives included the Navy's Blue Scout rockets and the five-stage Scout X-1A.