Science: Vanguard Satellite

The U.S. “Project Vanguard” for launching small earth satellites has passed the talking stage. Last week the Department of Defense announced that it has signed a $2,035,033 contract with Glenn L. Martin Co. of Baltimore for the launching vehicle, the three-stage rocket that will set the first satellite in its orbit. General Electric Co. will supply the rocket motor, and other suppliers will be called on as the project develops.

Martin was presumably chosen because it builds the Navy’s Viking rockets, which hold the single-stage altitude record. The Navy will have overall supervision of Project Vanguard. The satellite itself is the responsibility of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. Its size has not been decided, but the Department of Defense promised that it will be big enough to carry instruments and will be tracked from the ground by optical and electronic devices.