Algol (rocket stage)

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Algol

Scout D-1 rocket that used the Algol rocket stage at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, 2012. Algol stage and interstage are visible
Function	Rocket stage
Manufacturer	Aerojet Rocketdyne
Size
Height	9.4 metres (31 ft)
Mass	1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
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The Algol family of solid-fuel rocket stages and boosters is built by Aerojet (now Aerojet Rocketdyne) and used on a variety of launch vehicles. It was developed by Aerojet from the earlier Jupiter Senior and the Navy Polaris programs.^[1][2] Upgrades to the Algol motor occurred from 1960 until the retirement of the Scout launch vehicle in 1994.

The Algol family use solid propellant fuel with a loaded mass of 10,705 kg, and produces 470.93 kN of thrust. The motor has a specific Impulse of 236 seconds in a vacuum environment. Variations Algol I, I-D, II, II-A, II-BA popular rating was 40KS-115,000 (52,000 kgf for 40 seconds), also known as Senior.

They were initially developed as the first-stage of propulsion for the Scout rocket, with the design being based on the UGM-27 Polaris, a submarine-launched ballistic missile developed for the United States Navy at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.^[3][4]