U.S. Army/NASA Juno II

Juno II was a modified Jupiter rocket with upper stages and payload sections, and its single engine, like Jupiter's, could be gimbaled during launch for steering control. It played an important role in the history of space flight. In March 1959, it launched Pioneer IV on America's first successful lunar flyby mission, and Pioneer IV was also the first U.S. probe to go into orbit around the sun. The vehicle also launched a number of satellites into Earth orbit, including Explorer VII in October 1959, which measured X-rays from the sun, and Explorer XI in April 1961, the first gamma ray satellite.

Huntsville, Alabama · United States