Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque in Bernalillo County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Jupiter
The Jupiter Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM), in service from 1960 to 1963, was an important link between early short-range rockets and later weapons that could reach any point on Earth. Its development began in 1956 as a joint U.S. Army and U.S. Navy project.
Originally designed for shipboard use, Jupiter was a compromise between Army and Navy designs. In 1956, the Department of Defense gave the U.S. Air Force responsibility for building and operating all missiles with more than a 200-mile range. The Jupiter instantly became an U.S. Air Force program.
Jupiter was a single-stage liquid-fueled missile using internal guidance system. It was the first mobile strategic ballistic missile to use ablative heat shield on the nosecone section. Such shields would be used on the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. Some modified versions of the Jupiter were used as first-stage boosters for early U.S. satellite launches. The Jupiter is perhaps best known as a bargaining chip in the resolution of the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Technical notes
Engine: One Rocketdyne S-3D of 150,000 lbs. thrust
Guidance: All-inertial
Length: 60 ft.
Diameter: 8 ft. 9 in
Weight: 108,804 lbs. (fully fueled)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Air & Space. A significant historical year for this entry is 1960.
Location. 35° 3.974′ N, 106° 32.102′ W. Marker is in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in Bernalillo County. It is in Kirtland Air Force Base. Marker is on Eubank Boulevard SE south of Southern Boulevard SE, on the right when traveling south. The marker is on the grounds of the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History. A fee is necessary to access the marker. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Albuquerque NM 87123, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Thor (a few steps from this marker); Titan II ICBM (a few steps from this marker); LGM-118A Peacekeeper (a few steps from this marker); Minuteman (a few steps from this marker); Polaris A-3 (within shouting distance of this marker); B-47E Stratojet (within shouting distance of this marker); Matador (within shouting distance of this marker); Bomarc (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Albuquerque.
Also see . . . PGM-19 Jupiter at Wikipedia. (Submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana. This page has been viewed 85 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 9, 2021, by J. Makali Bruton of Accra, Ghana.