Project Pilot
FailureNOTS 1 · US Navy
Launch time (NET)
Friday, Jul 25, 1958, 00:00 UTC
Launch window
Friday, Jul 25, 1958, 00:00 UTC – Friday, Jul 25, 1958, 00:00 UTC
Provider
US Navy
Rocket
Launch pad
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Air launch to Suborbital flight · Open map
Status
Failure
Either the launch vehicle did not reach orbit, or the payload(s) failed to separate.
Mission
NOTS 1
Type
Government/Top Secret
Orbit
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
The project pilot payloads were small cylindrical satellites. These missions intended to be the first to launch a satellite from an aircraft. They had only a single instrument, a very primitive infrared line scanning device to make IR images of the ground.
Go to payload page →🎬 Recent videos
In 1958 the Navy Strapped a Satellite Rocket to a Fighter Jet — It May Have Reached Orbit
enWW2 Classified Skies· Jul 16, 2026
US Navy Nuclear Submarine Bursts Through Polar Ice
enThe Military Show· Feb 1, 2022
NOTS-EV-1 Pilot | Wikipedia audio article
enwikipedia tts· May 6, 2019
**NEW** Electromagnetic Catapult System for US NAVY
enMaria “ModelMilitaryWeapons” Sharapova· Dec 4, 2013