Vanguard-TV1

Vanguard TV-1 Test Vehicle 1

Mission Profile

The Vanguard TV-1 was the first full-scale test vehicle in the U.S. Navy's Project Vanguard program, designed to validate the structural and propulsive elements of the Vanguard rocket before any orbital satellite launch attempts. Standing 21.9 m tall with a 1.1 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 10,050 kg, it generated 132 kN of first-stage thrust from its Viking-derived engine. Launched in May 1957, the TV-1 completed a successful suborbital flight, providing critical data on the rocket's aerodynamics and structural performance in the early stages of the American civilian space program.