M55E1

M55E1 is the designation of a United States solid fuel rocket that is used as the first stage of several expendable launch systems.

Uses

The M55E1 is used in the following systems:

• Minuteman III
• Minotaur

Earlier versions of the Minuteman used the M55A1 for the first stage.^[1] The US Army Homing Overlay Experiment also used the M551E1 as the first stage.^[2]

Key Facts

• Manufacturer: Thiokol
• First Launch: March 14, 1970
• Liftoff Thrust: 935,000 kN (210,196 lbf)
• Total Weight: 30,000 kg (66,000 lb)
• Diameter: 1.68 m (5.51 ft)
• Length: 16.0 m (52.00 ft)^[3]

References

1. Kyle, Ed. "Minuteman Launch Vehicle Flight History by Variant/Year (1959–2009)". Space Launch Report. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
2. Pasch, Andreas. "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles".
3. Wade, Mark. "M55E1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30.