Launch Area 2

Launch Area 2 at Wallops Island, part of the NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), was historically used for launching sounding rockets and various suborbital research missions. This area, like other parts of Wallops, played a significant role in early atmospheric and space research.

Rail Launchers at Launch Area 2

• Rail launchers were a common feature at Wallops, especially in the early days of sounding rocket testing.

• The rail system provided guidance and stabilization for small solid-fueled rockets during launch, ensuring they remained on a steady trajectory before they cleared the launcher and were fully aerodynamic.

• Rail launchers were used for meteorological, ionospheric, and aerodynamics research rockets.

Types of Rockets Launched from Launch Area 2

Several types of small and medium-sized research rockets were likely launched from Launch Area 2, including:

1. Nike-Cajun – One of the most frequently used rockets, introduced in 1956, and widely used during the International Geophysical Year (IGY) in 1957-1958. It remained a staple of NASA's sounding rocket program for many years.​ 

2. Nike Smoke – A single-stage solid-fueled rocket used for upper-atmosphere wind studies.

3. Terrier-Orion – A two-stage sounding rocket system used for suborbital scientific research.

4. Aerobee Rockets – Small liquid-fueled sounding rockets used for high-altitude physics experiments.

5. Nike-Tomahawk – A two-stage rocket used for upper-atmospheric research, combining the Nike booster with the Tomahawk second stage.

6. Arcas – A smaller meteorological rocket frequently launched for atmospheric soundings.

7. Black Brant – A well-known Canadian-designed sounding rocket that has seen extensive use at Wallops for scientific missions.

Historical and Current Use

• 1950s-1980s: Used for various atmospheric and technology testing missions.

• Today: While many launches now take place from Launch Complexes 0A and 0B (for Antares and Minotaur-class vehicles), smaller sounding rocket launches and atmospheric research missions still use some of the older Wallops launch infrastructure.