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{{Short description|Rocket designed to take measurements during its flight}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2019}}
[[File:Black Brant.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|A [[Black Brant (rocket)|Black Brant]] XII being launched from [[Wallops Flight Facility]]]]
A '''sounding rocket''' or '''rocketsonde''', sometimes called a '''research rocket''' or a '''suborbital rocket''', is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its [[sub-orbital spaceflight|sub-orbital]] flight. The rockets are used to launch instruments from 48 to 145 km (30 to 90 miles)<ref>[http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code810/files/SRHB.pdf nasa.gov] NASA Sounding Rocket Program Handbook, June 2005, p. 1</ref> above the surface of the Earth, the altitude generally between [[weather balloon]]s and [[satellite]]s; the maximum altitude for balloons is about 40 km (25 miles) and the minimum for satellites is approximately 121 km (75 miles).<ref name="overview">{{cite web|date=24 July 2006|url=http://rscience.gsfc.nasa.gov/srrov.html|title=NASA Sounding Rocket Program Overview|work=NASA Sounding Rocket Program|publisher=NASA|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref> Certain sounding rockets have an [[apogee]] between 1,000 and 1,500 km (620 and 930 miles), such as the [[Black Brant (rocket)|Black Brant X and XII]], which is the maximum apogee of their class. Sounding rockets often use military surplus rocket motors.<ref name="what" /> NASA routinely flies the Terrier Mk 70 boosted [[Improved Orion]], lifting 270–450-kg (600–1,000-pound) payloads into the [[Exosphere|exoatmospheric]] region between 97 and 201 km (60 and 125 miles).<ref>''NASA Sounding Rocket Handbook''</ref>

==Etymology==
The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary ''to [[Depth sounding|sound]]'', which is to throw a weighted line from a ship into the water to measure the water's depth. The term itself has its etymological roots in the [[Romance languages]] word for ''probe'', of which there are nouns ''[[wiktionary:sonda|sonda]]'' and ''[[wiktionary:sonde|sonde]]'' and verbs like ''[[wiktionary:sondear|sondear]]'' which means "to do a survey or a poll". ''Sounding'' in the rocket context is equivalent to "taking a measurement".<ref name=what>{{cite web|last=Marconi|first=Elaine M.|date =12 April 2004|url=http://www.nasa.gov/missions/research/f_sounding.html|title=What is a Sounding Rocket?|work=Research Aircraft|publisher=NASA|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref>

== Design ==
[[File:SoundingRocketSamplePayload-02.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Sample payloads for sounding rockets]]

The basic elements of a sounding rocket are a [[solid-fuel rocket]] motor and a science [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]].<ref name=what/> Larger, higher altitude rockets have two to three [[rocket staging|stages]] to increase efficiency and payload capability. The [[freefall]] part of the flight is an [[elliptic orbit|elliptic trajectory]] with vertical [[Semi-major axis|major axis]] allowing the payload to appear to hover near its [[apogee]].<ref name=overview/> The average flight time is less than 30 minutes; usually between five and 20 minutes.<ref name=overview/> The rocket consumes its fuel on the [[First stage (rocketry)|first stage]] of the rising part of the flight, then separates and falls away, leaving the payload to complete the arc and return to the ground under a [[parachute]].<ref name=what/>

== Advantages ==
Sounding rockets are advantageous for some research because of their low cost,<ref name=overview/> relatively short [[lead time]] (sometimes less than six months)<ref name=what/> and their ability to conduct research in areas inaccessible to either balloons or satellites. They are also used as test beds for equipment that will be used in more expensive and risky [[orbital spaceflight]] missions.<ref name=overview/> The smaller size of a sounding rocket also makes launching from temporary sites possible, allowing [[Field research|field studies]] at remote locations, and even in the middle of the ocean, if fired from a ship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pha.jhu.edu/groups/rocket/general.html|title=General Description of Sounding Rockets|work=Johns Hopkins University Sounding Rocket Program|access-date=10 October 2006}}</ref>

==Applications==
===Meteorology===
{{further|Atmospheric sounding}}
[[File:Loki-dart display.jpg|right|thumb|A Loki-Dart (foreground) on display at the [[White Sands Missile Range]] [[rocket garden]]]]

[[Weather]] observations, up to an altitude of 75 km, are done with '''rocketsondes''', a kind of sounding rocket for [[atmosphere|atmospheric]] observations that consists of a [[rocket]] and [[radiosonde]]. The sonde records data on [[temperature]], [[moisture]], [[wind speed]] and direction, [[wind shear]], [[atmospheric pressure]], and [[air density]] during the flight. [[Geographic coordinate system|Position]] data ([[altitude]] and [[latitude]]/[[longitude]]) may also be recorded.

Common meteorological rockets are the [[Loki (rocket)|Loki]] and [[Loki (rocket)|Super Loki]], typically 3.7 m tall and powered by a 10 cm diameter [[Solid-fuel rocket|solid fuel rocket engine]]. The rocket engine separates at an altitude of 1500 m and the rest of the rocketsonde coasts to [[apogee]] (highest point). This can be set to an altitude of 20 km to 113 km.

===Research===
Sounding rockets are commonly used for:
* Research in [[aeronomy]], the study of the [[upper atmosphere]], which requires this tool for ''in situ'' measurements in the upper atmosphere
*[[Ultraviolet astronomy|Ultraviolet]] and [[X-ray astronomy]], which require being above the bulk of the Earth's atmosphere
*[[Microgravity]] research which benefits from a few minutes of [[weightlessness]] on rockets launched to altitudes of a few hundred kilometers
*[[Remote Sensing]] of Earth Resources uses sounding rockets to get an essentially instant synoptic view of the geographical area under observation.<ref>{{Cite journal | doi=10.1080/07038992.1976.10854945| title=Remote Sensing of Earth Resources Sounding Rocket Capabilities| year=1976| last1=Payne| first1=B.R.| last2=Baird| first2=J.L.| journal=Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing| volume=2| pages=12–17| bibcode=1976CaJRS...2...12P}}</ref>

===Dual use===
Due to the high military relevance of ballistic missile technology, there has always been a close relationship between sounding rockets and military missiles. It is a typical [[dual-use technology]], which can be used for both civil and military purposes. During the [[Cold War]], the Federal Republic of Germany cooperated on this topic with countries that had not signed the [[Non-Proliferation Treaty]] on Nuclear Weapons at that time, such as Brazil, Argentina and India. In the course of investigations by the [[peace movement#Germany|German peace movement]], this cooperation was revealed by a group of physicists in 1983.<ref name=NeS1983>{{cite journal | last = Campbell | author-link = Duncan Campbell (journalist) | first = D. | date = 5 August 1983 | title = Germany helps Brazil to nuclear supremacy | journal = [[New Statesman]] | url= https://www.duncancampbell.org/menu/journalism/newstatesman/newstatesman-1983/germany%20helps%20brazil%20to%20nucular%20supremacy.pdf }}</ref> The international discussion that was thus set in motion led to the development of the [[Missile Technology Control Regime]] (MTCR) at the level of G7 states. Since then, lists of technological equipment whose export is subject to strict controls have been drawn up within the MTCR framework.

==Operators and programs==
* [[Andøya Space Center]] in Norway operates two sounding rocket launch sites, one at Andøya and one at Svalbard. Has launched sounding rockets since 1962.
* [[Poker Flat Research Range]] is owned by the [[University of Alaska Fairbanks]].
* The British [[Skylark (rocket)|Skylark sounding rocket]] programme began in 1955 and was used for 441 launches from 1957 to 2005. Skylark 12, from 1976, could lift {{convert|200|kg|lb}} to {{convert|575|km|mi}} altitude.<ref name=Serra >{{cite web
|url=http://www.sat-net.com/serra/skylar_e.htm
|title=Skylark sounding rockets
|last= Serra
|first=Jean-Jacques
|date=
|website=Rockets in Europe
|publisher=
|access-date=2021-05-20}}</ref>
* [[ISRO]]'s [[VSSC]] developed the [[Rohini sounding rocket series|''Rohini'']] sounding rockets series starting in 1967 that reached altitudes of 500 km
* [[Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering]] from the [[Delft University of Technology]] operates the Stratos sounding rocket program, which reached 21.5 km in 2015.
* [[Evolution Space]] operates the Gold Chain Cowboy sounding rocket with launch to 124.5 km on April 22, 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Messier |first=Doug |date=2023-04-25 |title=Evolution Space Launches Rocket on Suborbital Flight From Mojave Desert |url=https://parabolicarc.com/2023/04/25/suborbital-launches/ |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=Parabolic Arc |language=en-US}}</ref>
* The Australian Space Research Institute ([[ASRI]]) operates a Small Sounding Rocket Program (SSRP) for launching payloads (mostly educational) to altitudes of about 7 km
* Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST) launched a Sounding Rocket (Vyom) in May, 2012, which reached an altitude of 15 km. Vyom Mk-II is in its conceptual design stage with an objective to reach 70 km altitude with 20 kg payload capacity.
* The [[University of Queensland]] operates Terrier-Orion sounding rockets (capable of reaching altitudes in excess of 300 km) as part of their [[HyShot]] hypersonics research
* [[Iranian Space Agency]] operated its first sounding rocket in February 2007
* [[UP Aerospace]] operates the [[SpaceLoft XL]] sounding rocket that can reach altitudes of 225 km
* [[TEXUS]] and MiniTEXUS, German rocket programmes at [[Esrange]] for [[German Aerospace Center|DLR]] and [[ESA]] microgravity research programmes
* Astrium operates missions with sounding rockets on a commercial basis, as prime contractor to ESA or the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
* [[Maser (rocket)|MASER]], Swedish rocket programme at Esrange for ESA microgravity research programmes
* [[Maxus (rocket)|MAXUS]], German-Swedish rocket programme at [[Esrange]] for [[ESA]] microgravity research programmes
* Pakistan's [[Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission|SUPARCO]] launched [[Rehbar-I|Rehbar series]] of sounding rockets from 1962 to 1971. A total of 200 rockets were launched.
* REXUS, German-Swedish rocket programme at Esrange for [[German Aerospace Center|DLR]] and ESA student experiment programmes
* The [[NASA Sounding Rocket Program]]
* The [[JAXA]] operates the sounding rockets [[S-Series (rocket family)|S-Series]]: S-310 / S-520 / SS-520.
* United States/New Zealand company [[Rocket Lab]] developed the highly adaptable Ātea series of sounding rockets to carry 5–70 kg payloads to altitudes of 250 km or greater
* The [[Meteor (rocket)|Meteor]] rockets were built in Poland between 1963 and 1974.
* The [[Kartika I]] rocket was built and launched in Indonesia by [[LAPAN]] on 1964, becoming the third sounding rocket in Asia, after those from Japan and Pakistan.
* The [[Soviet Union]] developed an extensive program using rockets such as the [[M-100 (rocket)|M-100]], the most used ever; its successor by its successor state, Russia, is the [[MR-20]] and later the MR-30.
* Brazil has been launching its own sounding rockets since 1965. The largest and most current family of rocket are the ''[[Sonda (rocket)|Sonda]]'', which are the R&D basis for Brazil's soon-to-be-launched VLS satellite launcher. Other rockets include the [[VSB-30]]
* The [[Paulet I]] rocket was built and launched in Peru by The [[National Commission for Aerospace Research and Development]] (CONIDA) on 2006, becoming the first sounding rocket of the country and the third rocket in South America, after those from Brazil and Argentina.
*The [[Experimental Sounding Rocket Association]] (ESRA) is a non-profit organization based in the United States which has operated the Intercollegiate Rocket Engineering Competition (IREC) since 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ESRA|url=http://www.soundingrocket.org/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=ESRA|language=en}}</ref>
* [[ONERA]] in France launched a sounding rocket named Titus, developed for observation of the total [[solar eclipse]] in Argentina on November 12, 1966. Titus was a two-stage rocket with a length of 11.5 m, a launch weight of 3.4 tons, and a diameter of 56 cm. It reached a maximum height of 270 kilometers. It was launched twice in [[Las Palmas, Chaco]] during the eclipse, in collaboration with the Argentine space agency CNIE.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wade |first1=Mark |title=Titus |url=http://www.astronautix.com/t/titus.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228032624/http://astronautix.com/t/titus.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 28, 2016 |website=Astronautix |access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref>
* German Aerospace Center's Mobile Rocket Base ([[German Aerospace Center|DLR]] [[MORABA]]) designs, builds and operates a variety of sounding rocket types and custom vehicles in support for national and international research programs.
* [[Interstellar Technologies]] is a Japanese company that is developing the experimental MOMO sounding rocket.

== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Aerobee]]
* [[Astrobee]]
* [[Black Brant (rocket)]]
* [[Boosted Dart]]
* [[Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering]]
* [[Frank Malina]]
* [[High Power Rocketry]]
* [[Hopi Dart]]
* [[Kookaburra (rocket)]]
* [[Mesquito]]
* [[Model rocket]]
* [[Project Nike#Nike as sounding rocket|Nike-based sounding rockets]]
* [[Rocket Lab]]
* [[Sonda (rocket)|Sonda]]
* [[Seliger Rocket]]
* [[Skylark (rocket)]]
* [[V-2 sounding rocket]]
* [[VS-30|VS-30 family]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100715030227/http://www.astrium.eads.net/en/prog/sounding-rockets.html Sounding rockets at EADS Astrium page]
* [[ESA]] [https://web.archive.org/web/20050910144053/http://spaceflight.esa.int/users/file.cfm?filename=facsrockets article on sounding rockets]
* [http://www.esa.int/esapub/bulletin/bullet88/peder88.htm 30 years of sounding rocket launches] at [[Esrange]] in [[Kiruna]], [[Sweden]]
* [http://rscience.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html NASA Sounding Rocket Program]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20000302115537/http://www.nsroc.com/ NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract]
* [https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4401/sp4401.htm ''NASA Sounding Rockets, 1958–1968: A Historical Summary'' (NASA SP-4401, 1971)]
* [http://www.asri.org.au/SSRP Australian Space Research Institute Small Sounding Rocket Program]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070323162515/http://spaceflight.esa.int/users/index.cfm?act=default.page&level=11&page=1792 German, Swedish and EADS-ST Programmes]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090528015146/http://www.ssc.se/?id=6279 MASER Programme of the Swedish Space Corporation]
*[[Andøya Space Center|Sounding rockets launched from Andøya Space Center in Norway]]
*[http://www.soundingrocket.org/ Experimental Sounding Rocket Association (ESRA)]

{{Meteorological equipment}}
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[[Category:Sounding rockets| ]]
[[Category:Meteorological instrumentation and equipment]]

Sounding rocket - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article