...of an Oriole rocket system produced by its Rocket Support Services (RSS) business unit located in Glen Burnie, Maryland. This was the first Oriole rocket launched by NASA and was one of five rockets launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, over a six minute period as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. The rockets carried payloads which released chemical tracers that created milky, white clouds at the edge of space that were visible throughout the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region.
As noted by NASA, the mission, dubbed the Anomalous Transport Rocket Experiment (ATREX), was performed to gather information needed to better understand the process responsible for the high-altitude jet stream located 60 to 65 miles above the Earth's surface. NASA has initially purchased six Oriole rocket systems from Kratos to support the program.
Dave Carter, President of Kratos' Defense Engineering Solutions division, said, "We are very pleased with the successful inaugural Oriole launch by NASA and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship providing Oriole rocket systems to support the NASA Sounding Rocket Program. The Oriole rocket system is very versatile and was developed to support technology research and missile defense target programs, in addition to scientific research."
Eric DeMarco, Kratos' President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "The NASA Sounding Rocket Program has a long and enviable history supporting upper atmospheric and other suborbital scientific research. Kratos is proud to provide the Oriole to augment NASA's family of suborbital rocket systems."