Terasca

Terasca, or Terrier-ASROC-Cajun, was an American three-stage sounding rocket developed and launched by the United States Navy. Derived from a combination of the Terrier, ASROC and Cajun rockets, three launches were attempted during 1959, but only one was successful.

Design and development

The Terrier-ASROC-Cajun rocket was developed during early 1959 by the Naval [Ordnance Test Station], located at China Lake, [Kern County, California|China Lake, California], to fill a U.S. Navy requirement for a three-stage sounding rocket, intended to launch experimental payloads for conducting high-altitude research. The rocket utilised a combination of existing missiles in its construction; the first stage was a Terrier surface-to-air missile; an ASROC anti-submarine rocket made up the second stage, while a Cajun sounding rocket was utilised as a third stage.
The Terrier first stage produced thrust, while the ASROC second stage provided , and the third-stage Cajun motor had a thrust rated at. The theoretical apogee for Terasca was ; it could carry a scientific payload of up to.

Operational history

Three launch attempts of the Terasca missile were made from the launch facility at Vandenberg [Air Force Base] during 1959, utilising the Western Launch and Test Range. The first launch attempt took place on May 1; this launch was a failure. A second launch attempt on June 26, however, was successful, with the rocket reaching an apogee of. A third launch, attempted on August 12, however, was also a failure; following the third launch, the Terasca program came to a close.