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Peenemuende GWO

Site · Germany

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

V-2, Wasserfall launch complex. Greifswalder Oie

Related

Country
Germany
Launch Vehicles
V-2, A3, A5, Wasserfall
Launch Sites
Peenemuende

Chronology

30 events

1937 December 4

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. LV Family: V-2. Launch Vehicle: A3. FAILURE: Engine cutoff at 6.5 seconds.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • First A3 launch - . Nation: Germany. Related Persons: von Braun. Apogee: 0.10 km (0.06 mi). Range: 0.30 km (0.19 mi).

    First launch of an A3 rocket. New facilites being built at Peenemuende were not ready, so the A3 launches were made from the offshore island of Greifswalder Oie. The A3 launched on this day was 6.5 m long and 70 cm in diameter. The engine occupied the first 2 m of the fuselage. The missile had a 750 kg lift-off mass, including 450 kg of propellant, which was pressurised to 20 atmospheres. The 1.5 tonne thrust engine had a 1900 m/s exhaust velocity and a 45 second burn time. The parachute deployed 3 seconds after launch, and the engine cutoff at 6.5 seconds. The rocket impacted and exploded 300 m from the launch point.

1937 December 6

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. LV Family: V-2. Launch Vehicle: A3. FAILURE: Engine cutoff early.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • A3 launch - . Nation: Germany. Related Persons: von Braun. Apogee: 0.10 km (0.06 mi). Range: 0.30 km (0.19 mi). Second launch of an A3. Same result as the first - the rocket made a quarter turn after launch, then reached only 100 m before the parachute jettisoned and the missile crashed into the sea a short distance from the launch stand..

1937 December 8

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. LV Family: V-2. Launch Vehicle: A3. FAILURE: Engine cutoff early.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • A3 launch - . Nation: Germany. Related Persons: von Braun. Apogee: 0.10 km (0.06 mi). Range: 0.30 km (0.19 mi). Third launch of an A3. No parachute deployment and the engine cut-off early. The rocket impacted into the Baltic Sea and sank..

1937 December 11

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. LV Family: V-2. Launch Vehicle: A3. FAILURE: Engine cutoff early.. Failed Stage: 1.
  • A3 launch - . Nation: Germany. Related Persons: von Braun. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi).

    Final launch of the A3. The rocket is fired without the parachute that ruined the first two attempts, but in heavy fog. It is more successful than earlier shots, but at 800 to 1000 m altitude it also veers over and thrusts its way downward into the ocean. Analysis showed that the fins steering the rocket could not overcome the 8 m/s wind blowing at the time of the launch. Further study shows that at the low speed of initial rocket acceleration, a wind as little as 4 m/s would be enough to topple the rocket. A rudder area ten times greater than is needed to control the rocket at low speeds. This result leads to the decision to abandon the A3 configuration and build the A5 to support development of the A4 missile.

October 1939

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. LV Family: V-2. Launch Vehicle: A5. Failed Stage: 1.
  • A-5 development rockets with gyroscopic controls and parachutes - . Nation: Germany. Related Persons: von Braun. Apogee: 7.00 km (4.30 mi).

    New test series at Greifswalder Oie. The island had changed a lot, with massive new concrete installations. Three A3's were flown with a new Siemens control system. The first was launched vertically, reaching 7 km at 45 seconds into the flight at the time of engine cut-off. Both the drogue and main parachutes functioned correctly, and the rocket splashed down in the harbour and was recovered a half hour later by a motor boat (the rocket could float for up to two hours before water entering the empty propellant tanks would sink it).

1944 February 29

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Pad: GWO?. Launch Vehicle: Wasserfall. FAILURE: Failure.

1944 March 8

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Pad: GWO?. Launch Vehicle: Wasserfall.
  • Test mission - . Nation: Germany. Agency: Wehrmacht. Apogee: 1.00 km (0.60 mi).

1944 June 11

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • Nation: Germany. First Oie launch..

1944 June 14

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • Nation: Germany. Launched by Battery 1./485.

1944 June 18

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • V-2 M 5 - . Nation: Germany. Launched by Battery 1./485.

1944 June 20

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 June 21

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 June 24

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 June 26

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 July 5

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 July 6

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 July 8

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 July 21

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 July 29

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 August 1

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • V-2 Ma24 - . Nation: Germany. Launched by Battery 1./485.
  • V-2 Ma28 - . Nation: Germany. By the end of July there were a total of 125 Peenemuende shots. Presumably the difference 141-125=16 were Oie shots..

1944 August 2

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 August 4

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 August 12

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 August 15

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 September 15

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 September 17

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 September 19

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.
  • V-2 Ma87 - . Nation: Germany. Launched by Battery 3./485.

1944 September 20

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 September 21

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.

1944 September 22

Launch Site: Peenemuende. Launch Complex: Peenemuende GWO. Launch Vehicle: V-2.