Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle

<p>The Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle, designed for <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a>'s <a href="/facts/Project_Mercury/H8zqFzbC">Project Mercury</a>, was the first American crewed <a href="/facts/Booster_(rocketry)/cUjIgX4R">space booster</a>. It was used for six <a href="/facts/Sub-orbital/NdLRlGIq">sub-orbital</a> Mercury flights from 1960–1961; culminating with the launch of the first, and 11 weeks later, the second American (and the second and third humans) in space. The four subsequent Mercury <a href="/facts/Human_spaceflight/VgVxsGmq">human spaceflights</a> used the more powerful <a href="/facts/Atlas_LV-3B/ufGAcnsB">Atlas booster</a> to enter <a href="/facts/Low_Earth_orbit/rq1TwayJ">low Earth orbit</a>.
</p><p>A member of the <a href="/facts/Redstone_(rocket_family)/CnPFjtdd">Redstone rocket family</a>, it was derived from the <a href="/facts/U.S._Army/WACWBEK9">U.S. Army</a>'s <a href="/facts/PGM-11_Redstone/cz58vLqm">Redstone</a> <a href="/facts/Ballistic_missile/Pl6juY73">ballistic missile</a> and the <a href="/facts/Multistage_rocket/WNrmgztj">first stage</a> of the related <a href="/facts/Jupiter-C/lXWFQKkF">Jupiter-C</a> launch vehicle; but to <a href="/facts/Human-rating_certification/JqkECqQv">human-rate</a> it, the structure and systems were modified to improve safety and reliability.
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Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle open-in-new

Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle