Shavetail was an experimental American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 rocket

Rocket

A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...

developed during the 1950s. Used to evalulate the rapidly-developing technology of rocketry, eleven Shavetail rockets were fired during 1959.

Design and development

Intended to assist in the development of rocket and missile technologies, Shavetail was a small, inexpensive, unguided solid-fueled rocket that was capable of being modified to be tested in various configurations.

Operational history

A series of eleven launches of the Shavetail rocket were conducted in late 1959, starting in August and ending in October. The maximum range of Shavetail was 6 miles (9.7 km).