NOTS 2
Project Pilot
US Navy
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Mission
NOTS 2
Type: Government/Top Secret
The project pilot payloads were small cylindrical satellites. These missions intended to be the first to launch a satellite from an aircraft. They had only a single instrument, a very primitive infrared line scanning device to make IR images of the ground.
Location
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
Air launch to Suborbital flight
77 rockets have launched from Air launch to Suborbital flight.
Rocket
Project Pilot – US Navy
Length: 4.4 m
Diameter: 0.76 m
Launch Mass: 0 T
Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 1 kg
The Project Pilot was manufactured by US Navy with the first launch on 1958-07-04. Project Pilot has 0 successful launches and 6 failed launches with a total of 6 launches. The NOTS-EV-1 Pilot, also known as NOTSNIK was an expendable launch system and anti-satellite weapon developed by the United States Navy’s United States Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS).
Agency
US Navy
Type: Government
Abbreviation: USN
Founded: 1963
Launchers: None
Spacecraft: Vanguard 1-3 | Parker Solar Probe
Country: USA
The Navy was competed with the Army to put the first American satellite into orbit. Their first two Vanguard missions failed, with the second being a highly publicized failure, as it exploded on the launchpad. They went on to put 3 satellites into orbit but did not beat the Army to be the first. Their work in space continues today largely on military satellites.
