Viking RTV-N-12

RTV-N-12 Viking Viking Sounding Rocket

Mission Profile

Viking RTV-N-12 was a pioneering American high-altitude sounding rocket developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the Naval Research Laboratory, designed to probe the upper atmosphere and near-space environment in the years following World War II. Standing 14.9 meters tall and weighing 4,850 kg, it generated 89 kN of thrust from its single liquid-propellant engine and first flew in May 1949. The Viking series conducted groundbreaking measurements of the ionosphere, cosmic ray flux, and atmospheric composition, reaching altitudes that had never before been accessible to scientific instruments. Its technology directly influenced the development of the Vanguard launch vehicle, which became America's first purpose-built orbital rocket and attempted the first U.S. satellite launch.