Pilot NOTS-EV-1

NOTSNIK

Mission Profile

The Pilot NOTS-EV-1 (NOTSNIK) was a five-stage American air-launched orbital launch vehicle, one of the most audacious early space launch attempts, designed to launch a tiny satellite from beneath an F4D Skyray fighter aircraft. First flying in July 1958, the NOTSNIK was a classified US Navy programme that attempted to place a small satellite into orbit using a chain of solid rocket stages launched from high altitude, though none of the six launch attempts achieved confirmed orbital insertion.