The Terrier Malemute is a two-stage American sounding rocket typically used for smaller payloads (less than 180 kg [400 lb]).[1] Both the Terrier first stage and the Malemute second stage use solid propellant. The Terrier burns for approximately 5.2 seconds, and the Malemute burns for approximately 21.5 seconds. The first stage booster consists of a surplus Navy Terrier MK 12 Mod 1 rocket motor with four 0.22 m2 (340 sq in) fin panels arranged in a cruciform configuration. The Terrier rocket booster has a diameter of 460 mm (18 in). The second stage solid rocket is a Thiokol Malemute TU-758 rocket motor, specially designed for high altitude research rocket applications.[2] Apogee is approximately 400 km (220 nmi) for a 230 kg (510 lb) payload or 700 km (380 nmi) for a 41 kg (90 lb) payload.[3] For a payload weight of 200 lb (91 kg), the acceleration during the boost phase is 26 g.[4] Its first flight was on November 11, 1974, from Barking Sands. Other launch sites have included Poker Flat, Wallops Island and Fort Yukon, Alaska.[1]

Terrier Malemute on launch tower

Terrier Malemute was launched more than fifty times between 1974 and 2021:[2]

Date Version Site Payload
11.11.1974 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands Sandia 497-002 (failure)
12.05.1975 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands Sandia 497-004
27.06.1975 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island NASA 29.002GT (failure)
15.01.1976 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island NASA 12.034CT-GT (failure)
11.08.1976 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island NASA 12.036GT
27.11.1976 Terrier Malemute Andøya Rocket Range NASA 29.005IE (Ferdinand 38 (Harang))
14.01.1977 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.003AE
18.01.1977 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.004UE (failure)
10.09.1977 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island Sandia 497-008
02.02.1978 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.008UE
09.03.1978 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.007UE
26.01.1979 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.013UE (failure)
15.04.1979 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.011GE
18.04.1979 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.012GE
16.07.1979 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur Sandia 497-011 (DNA PLUMEX I)
23.07.1979 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur Sandia 497-012 (DNA PLUMEX II)
13.10.1979 Terrier Malemute-2 Barking Sands Sandia 497-010 (LASL Aguila)
27.01.1980 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.014UE (ARCS 1)
07.12.1981 Terrier Malemute-2 Cape Parry NASA 29.017CE (CENTAUR)
21.01.1982 Terrier Malemute Cape Parry NASA 29.018UE
06.03.1982 Terrier Malemute-2 Poker Flat NASA 29.016CE
02.03.1983 Terrier Malemute Chilca Launch Range NASA 29.020UE (CONDOR Cornell ESF)
15.03.1983 Terrier Malemute Chilca Launch Range NASA 29.019UE (CONDOR Cornell ESF)
11.11.1983 Terrier Malemute-2 Andøya Rocket Range NASA 29.022GE/IE (Ferdinand 63/Poleward Leap)
07.02.1984 Terrier Malemute Fort Yukon NASA 29.021UE (Bidarca)
23.01.1985 Terrier Malemute Søndre Strømfjord NASA 29.023UE (COPE)
10.02.1985 Terrier Malemute Søndre Strømfjord NASA 29.015UE (COPE/ARCS 3)
14.07.1985 Terrier Malemute-2 Barking Sands Sandia 497-013 (ACE I)
27.09.1985 Terrier Malemute-2 Barking Sands Sandia 497-014 (ACE II)
10.10.1985 Terrier Malemute-2 Barking Sands Sandia 497-015 (ACE III)
10.12.1985 Terrier Malemute-2 Barking Sands Sandia 497-016 (ACE IV)
03.04.1986 Terrier Malemute Poker Flat NASA 29.024UE
26.02.1987 Terrier Malemute Søndre Strømfjord NASA 29.025UE (COPE II)
05.03.1987 Terrier Malemute Søndre Strømfjord NASA 29.026UE (COPE II)
03.04.1989 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island NASA 29.027UE (RED AIR 1)
04.09.1989 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands SDIO Starmate
11.09.1989 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands SDIO Starmate
29.03.1990 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island SDIO Laser Target (Firefly 1)
25.04.1990 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island SDIO BSUV (Bow Shock 1)
30.07.1990 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur NASA 29.028UE (EQUIS Spread F)
02.08.1990 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur NASA 29.029UE (EQUIS Spread F)
20.10.1990 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island SDIO (Firefly 2)
24.05.1992 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands CDX (LWIS)
10.06.2003 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island NASA 29.035UP (DEBI, Bowshock)
07.08.2004 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur NASA 29.037UE (EQUIS II)
15.08.2004 Terrier Malemute Roi-Namur NASA 29.036UE (EQUIS II)
09.09.2017 Terrier Malemute Kwajalein Island NASA 29.042UE (WINDY 2) (failure)
23.04.2019 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands HOT SHOT 2
24.04.2019 Terrier Malemute Barking Sands HOT SHOT 3
20.10.2021 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island H4H 1
20.10.2021 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island H4H 2
20.10.2021 Terrier Malemute Wallops Island H4H 3
The Terrier Improved-Malemute launch vehicle

The Terrier Improved Malemute uses a Terrier Mk. 70 rocket motor for the first stage and a surplus MIM-104 Patriot motor (Thiokol TX-486-1) for the second stage.[5] The Terrier Improved Malemute has made two successful test flights[6] and two failed attempts.[7] Two of these rockets were successfully used in 2012 in the Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX) upper atmospheric study.[8]

On 26 November 2019, a Terrier Improved Malemute suborbital sounding rocket was launched from Ny-Ålesund, Norway. The rocket conducted the ICI-5 mission for NASA and Norwegian research institutes. The purpose of the mission was ionosphere research. The suborbital flight, with an apogee of 252 km (157 mi), was a partial failure as the rocket experienced a roll rate anomaly, precluding the on board instruments from functioning as intended.[9]


Terrier Improved Malemute was launched more than thirty times between 2010 and 2023:[5]

Date Site Payload
27.03.2010 Wallops Island NASA 12.067GT / ADAMASat / CP1U
11.01.2012 Wallops Island NASA 12.074GT
27.03.2012 Wallops Island NASA 46.002UE (ATREX 2)
27.03.2012 Wallops Island NASA 46.003UE (ATREX 4)
21.09.2012 Wallops Island NASA 46.004GO (RockSat-X 2)
07.05.2013 Roi-Namur NASA 46.001UE (EVEX)
13.08.2013 Wallops Island NASA 46.005UO (Rocksat-X 3)
02.07.2014 Wallops Island NASA 46.007GP (SubTec 6)
26.01.2015 Poker Flat NASA 46.009UE (M-TeX 1)
26.01.2015 Poker Flat NASA 46.010UE (M-TeX 2)
18.04.2015 Wallops Island NASA 46.008UO (Rocksat-X 4)
12.08.2015 Wallops Island NASA 46.012UO (Rocksat-X 5)
01.03.2016 Wallops Island NASA 46.011GP (MUSIC)
17.08.2016 Wallops Island NASA 46.014UO (Rocksat-X 6)
29.06.2017 Wallops Island NASA 46.015GT (Ampoule Test)
13.08.2017 Wallops Island NASA 46.017UO (Rocksat-X 7)
25.03.2018 Wallops Island NASA 46.019UO (USIP)
14.08.2018 Wallops Island NASA 46.021UO (RockSat-X 8)
13.01.2019 Ny-Ålesund NASA 46.018UO (G-CHASER, RockSat-XN)
12.08.2019 Wallops Island NASA 46.022UO (RocSat-X 9)
25.10.2019 Wallops Island NASA 46.020GT (SubTec 8)
26.11.2019 Ny-Ålesund NASA 46.029IE (ICI 5)
26.05.2021 Wallops Island NASA 46.028UE (VIPER)
19.08.2021 Wallops Island NASA 46.030UO (RockSat-X 10)
11.09.2021 Wallops Island NASA 46.033AR (HOTShot)
21.03.2022 Wallops Island NASA 46.027DR (BOLT 2)
07.04.2022 Poker Flat NASA 46.031UE (INCAA 1)
11.08.2022 Wallops Island NASA 46.036UO (RockSat-X 11)
24.08.2022 Wallops Island NASA 46.025UE (SpEED Demon)
26.10.2022 Wallops Island HOTH 2-1
27.10.2022 Wallops Island HOTH 2-2
16.08.2023 Wallops Island NASA 46.038UO (RockSat-X 12)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Terrier Malemute". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Terrier Malemute". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Terrier–Malemute". Mission Planning Lab Capability Catalog.
  4. ^ "NASA's Terrier Improved Malemute Rocket". NASA. May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2016.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  5. ^ a b "Terrier Mk.70 Improved Malemute". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Sounding Rocket Program Office". Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "Sounding Rocket Flight Ends Prematurely". Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  8. ^ "NASA - Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment". Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  9. ^ "The ICI-5 sounding rocket launched 07:43:04 UT Nov. 26th from Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, into a beautiful red auroral arc". Andøya Space Center. November 27, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019.
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