Malemute
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Malemute is the designation of an American sounding rocket family.[1] The original Malemute had a maximum flight altitude of 165 km, a liftoff thrust of 57.00 kN, a total mass of 100 kg, a diameter of 0.41 m and a total length of 2.40 m.[1] It was a single stage vehicle powered by a Thiokol Malemute TU-758 engine,[1] operated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL).[1]
It was used for used for conducting upper atmosphere research in various missions to study phenomena such as auroras, ionosphere and cosmic radiation. Over the years more advanced versions were developed.[2][3][4] The original Malemute was retired in 1999[1] but variants such as the Terrier Improved Malemute remain in service.[5]
Versions
A number of versions exist, with the addition of a second or third stages, and using different first stage engines.[2][3][6][7][8] Improved Malemute versions are powered by surplus Thiokol TX-486-1 engines from MIM-104 Patriot missiles.[9]
| Version | First Stage | Second Stage | Third Stage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malemute,[1] Malemute-2 | TU-758 | - | - |
| Improved Malemute (PAAT)[3] | TX-486-1 | ||
| Improved Malemute Improved Orion (IM/IO) | M112 | ||
| Improved Malemute Improved Malemute (IM/IM) | TX-486-1 | ||
| Terrier Improved Malemute[5][6][10] | Terrier MK12 | ||
| Terrier MK70 | |||
| S-31 Improved Malemute[11][12] | S31 | ||
| Red Kite Improved Malemute[13] | RK | ||
| Terrier Malemute[8] | Terrier MK12 | TU-758 | |
| Nike Malemute[14][15] | Nike M5E1 | ||
| S-31 Improved Malemute Improved Orion[11][12] | S31 | TX-486-1 | M112 |
Launches
Malemute rockets were launched from Andøya Space Center, Esrange Space Center, Kauai Test Facility, Tonopah Test Range and White Sands Missile Range.[2]
| Date | Rocket Version | Launch site | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22.07.1976 | Malemute | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-006 |
| 24.07.1976 | Malemute | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-007 |
| 19.04.1979 | Malemute-2 | Tonopah Test Range | Sandia 497-009 |
| 01.07.1999 | Malemute-2 | Kauai Test Facility | TMBD Target (Slugger) |
| 30.06.2016 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | MaxiDusty 1 (IM QUAL 1) |
| 08.07.2016 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | MaxiDusty 1B (IM QUAL 2) |
| 17.02.2018 | S-31 Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 7[11][12] |
| 13.04.2018 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 1 |
| 13.04.2018 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 2 |
| 20.02.2020 | Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | SPIDER 2 |
| 24.05.2021 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 11 |
| 12.08.2021 | Improved Malemute | White Sands Missile Range | ET-2 (Economical Target 2) |
| 07.09.2021 | Improved Malemute | White Sands Missile Range | ET-2 (Economical Target 2) |
| 01.10.2021 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 3 |
| 01.10.2021 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | PMWE 4 |
| 06.12.2021 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 10 |
| 29.01.2022 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 9 |
| 21.10.2022 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 12 |
| 23.03.2023 | Improved Malemute Improved Orion | Esrange Space Center | BROR |
| 22.05.2023 | Improved Malemute Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | MAPHEUS 13 |
| 24.01.2025 | Improved Malemute | Esrange Space Center | ORIGIN I |
| 05.07.2025 | Improved Malemute | Andøya Space Center | MaxiDusty-2 |
