Redstone (rocket)

SSM-A-14/M8/PGM-11 Redstone
Redstone No. CC-56, Cape Canaveral, Florida, September 17, 1958
Type	Surface-to-surface Short-range ballistic missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1958–1964
Used by	United States
Production history
Designer	Army Ballistic Missile Agency
Designed	1950–1952
Manufacturer	Chrysler Corporation
Produced	1952–1961
Number built	128 (ABMA: 27, Chrysler: 101)
Variants	Block I, Block II
Specifications
Weight	61,207 pounds (27,763 kg) at ignition
Length	69.3 feet (21.1 m)
Diameter	5.83 feet (1.8 m)
Blast yield	3.5 megatons of TNT (15 PJ) or 500 kilotonnes of TNT (2.1 PJ) thermonuclear warhead
Engine	Rocketdyne North American Aviation 75-110 A-7 78,000 pounds-force (350 kN) thrust at sea level for 121 seconds
Payload capacity	6,305 pounds (2,860 kg)
Propellant	ethyl alcohol, liquid oxygen, hydrogen peroxide
Fuel capacity	alcohol: 11,135 pounds (5,051 kg), liquid oxygen: 25,280 pounds (11,470 kg), hydrogen peroxide: 790 pounds (360 kg)
Operational range	57.5 miles (92.5 km) to 201 miles (323 km)
Flight altitude	28.4 miles (45.7 km) peak minimum to 58.7 miles (94.5 km) peak maximum
Boost time	97 seconds to 117 seconds
Speed	Mach 5.5 maximum at re-entry interface
Guidance system	Ford Instrument Company ST-80 inertial guidance
Steering system	Carbon jet vanes, air rudders, spatial air jet nozzles, air vanes
Accuracy	300 metres (980 ft) CEP
Launch platform	guided missile platform launcher M74

The PGM-11 Redstone was the first large American ballistic missile. A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM), it was in active service with the United States Army in West Germany from June 1958 to June 1964 as part of NATO's Cold War defense of Western Europe. It was the first missile to carry a live nuclear warhead, in the 1958 Pacific Ocean weapons test, Hardtack Teak. Chief Engineer Wernher von Braun personally witnessed this historic launch and detonation.

Redstone was a direct descendant of the German V-2 rocket, developed by a team of predominantly German rocket engineers brought to the United States after World War II as part of Operation Paperclip. The design used an upgraded engine from Rocketdyne that allowed the missile to carry the W39 warhead which weighed 6,900 pounds (3,100 kg) with its reentry vehicle to a range of about 175 miles (282 km). Redstone's prime contractor was the Chrysler Corporation.

A major effort to improve Redstone's reliability produced one of the most reliable rockets of the era. Dubbed "the Army's Workhorse", it spawned an entire rocket family which had an excellent launch record and holds a number of firsts in the US space program, notably launching the first US astronaut. It was retired by the Army in 1964 and replaced by the MGM-31 Pershing. Surplus missiles were widely used for test missions and space launches, including the first US man in space, and in 1967 the launch of Australia's first satellite.