Malemute is the designation of an American sounding rocket family. The original Malemute had a maximum flight altitude of 165 km, a liftoff thrust of 57.00 kN, a total mass of 100 kg, a diameter of 0.41 m and a total length of 2.40 m. It was a single stage vehicle powered by a Thiokol Malemute TU-758 engine, operated by Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). It was used for used for conducting upper atmosphere research in various missions to study phenomena such as auroras, ionosphere and cosmic radiation. Over the years more advanced versions were developed. The original Malemute was retired in 1999 but variants such as the Terrier Improved Malemute remain in service.
Versions A number of versions exist, with the addition of a second or third stages, and using different first stage engines. Improved Malemute versions are powered by surplus Thiokol TX-486-1 engines from MIM-104 Patriot missiles.
Launches Malemute rockets were launched from Andøya Space Center, Esrange Space Center, Kauai Test Facility, Tonopah Test Range and White Sands Missile Range.
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