Orion (rocket)

This article is about the American rocket. For the Argentine rocket see Orion-1; for the spacecraft, see Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. For other uses, see Orion (disambiguation)

Orion is the designation of a small American elevator research rocket. The Orion has a length of 5.60 meters, a diameter of 0.35 m, a launch weight of 400 kg, a launch thrust of 7 kN and a ceiling of 85 kilometers. The Orion, built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, is also used as an upper stage of sounding rockets, usually paired with a Terrier as the first stage.