Aerojet General X-8

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The Aerojet General X-8 was an unguided, spin-stabilized sounding rocket designed to launch a 150 pound (68 kg) payload to 200,000 feet (61 km). The X-8 was later spun-off into the prolific Aerobee rocket.

At launch, an 18,000 pound force (80 kN) thrust Aerojet solid rocket booster fired for 2.5 seconds. After booster jettison, a 2,600 pound force (12 kN) thrust RTV-N10 liquid fuel rocket burned for up to 40 seconds (depending on desired apogee). The spent rocket then fell back in a ballistic arch, the payload returning to Earth via parachute. The baseline X-8 measured 20.2 feet (6.2 m) in length and measured 5.25 feet (1.6 m) across the fins. In testing, a maximum altitude of 138 miles (222 km) and a speed of Mach six were achieved.