V-2 A4
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| A4 | |
|---|---|
| Basic data | |
| Function | Prototype |
| Manufacturer | Nazi Germany |
| First flight | October 3, 1942 |
| Entered service | October 3, 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Engine | |
| First stage | Liftoff |
| Launch mass | 24000 lb (6350 kg) |
| Length | {{{Length}}} |
| Diameter | {{{Diameter}}} |
| Speed | 2950 mph (4750 km/h) |
| Range | 198 mi (320 km) |
| Service ceiling | 56 miles (90 km) |
| Launch platform | Test Stand VII |
The V-2 A4 was a German rocket that was the first man-made object in outer space. Developed by rocket designer Wernher von Braun in Fall 1942, it was a prototype of Nazi Germany's V-2 program and the fourth rocket in the Aggregat series.
It was launched at 17:58 EST on October 3, 1942, in a testing at the Heeresversuchsanstalt, a rocket testing center in Peenemünde, from Test Stand VII. In the course of three minutes after launch, it reached its maximum altitude, 90 km (56 mi), and crash-landed in a nearby forest. Although it did not breach the Kármán line (100 kilometers, the internationally accepted boundary of space), it is still considered to be the first man-made object "in space" by many countries, including the United States, whose definition of space is 50 miles (80.5 km).
