Project Pilot

In-active

US Navy (USN)

July 4, 1958

Description

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).

Specifications

Stages
5
Length
4.4 m
Diameter
0.76 m
Fairing Diameter
0.76 m
Launch Mass
―
Thrust
125.0 kN

Family

Name
Project Pilot
Family
―
Variant
―
Alias
―
Full Name
Project Pilot

Payload Capacity

Launch Cost
―
Low Earth Orbit
1.0 kg
Geostationary Transfer Orbit
―
Direct Geostationary
―
Sun-Synchronous Capacity
―

US Navy

Government

None

USN 1963

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.

Flight Record

No spaceflights found for .

Recent Launches

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Orbital Launch Pad 2 - SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA

14th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. 3rd flight of Starship V3 and the first Starship flight to deploy satellites (a group of S…

Falcon 9

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4 days, 7 hours ago

USSF-385

Space Launch Complex 4E - Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA

A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bu…

Electron

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4 days, 20 hours ago

Owlright, Owlright, Owlright (StriX Launch 13)

Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1B - Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, New Zealand

Synthetic aperture radar satellite for Japanese Earth imaging company Synspective.

Long March 6A

Success

6 days, 12 hours ago

Yaogan 40 Group 04

Launch Complex 9A - Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

3 Chinese reconnaissance satellites of unknown purposes, officially reported as for "Electromagnetic environment probing".

Long March 8A

Success

1 week ago

SatNet LEO Group 26

Commercial LC-1 - Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China

A batch of 9 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Chinese state owned SatNet constellation operated by the China Satellite Network Group.…