2 stage vehicle consisting of 1 x Castor + 1 x Recruit

Launches: 1. First Launch Date: 1962-10-20. Last Launch Date: 1962-10-20. Launch data is: complete. Apogee: 150 km (90 mi). Core Diameter: 0.79 m (2.59 ft).

1962 October 20 - 08:30 GMT - Launch Site: Johnston Island. Launch Vehicle: Castor-Recruit.

• CHECKMATE Nuclear Test mission Nation: USA. Agency: AEC. Apogee: 147 km (91 mi). Test of the Los Alamos XW-50X1 60 kiloton nuclear warhead. Launch vehicle was a solid propellant XM-33 Strypi rocket with a Recruit booster stage. The warhead detonated at an altitude of 147 km, 66 km from Johnston Island. Observers on the island saw a green and blue circular region surrounded by a red ring. This faded in less than a minute. Blue-green streamers and pink striations developed that lasted half an hour. At this yield, even with the high altitude, extensive disruption of communications were not reported.References: 1840.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.