An unknown missile

[Bubba]

Hi! Anyone can tell me what this missile is? I think the location is White Sands...

 

[World B4]

Looks like something Wile E Coyote would build

 

[sferrin]

Try Designation Systems. I saw it over there years ago.

 

[Dilandu]

Try Designation Systems. I saw it over there years ago.

There is only a photo here as "unidentified USAF rocket". The photo itself seems to be from White Sands Missile Museum, but they didn't knew what it is also.

P.S. Seems that they found that it's called "Air Force Pegasus Missile", but nothing more.

http://www.wsmr-history.org/Pegasus.htm

 

[Rickshaw]

Short ranged, large capacity, I suspect it is a system for testing warheads...

 

[Forest Green]

Looks like something Wile E Coyote would build

It's not pointy enough.

 

[edwest4]

Is that black surface near the top painted? Or is it a window?

 

[hark40]

A google search identified this document at the NRO. Mention is made of at least two launches of a "Pegasus recovery system test vehicle" at White Sands in 1961 (there was a third prior to the time frame covered in the document.) The only system I can think of is the Pegasus micrometeroid detection satellites used as a test payload on early Saturn I launches, but they were launched in 1965 with concept work starting in 1962. So that theory does not hold up. (The other problem is I didn't think they had a capsule return system even though the image on Wikipedia for Pegasus shows a "capsule in satellite".)

The documents at the NRO are for WS-117L which relates to USAF spy satellites which makes much more sense, and the timeframe fits in better as well.

(Edited to include info on WS-117L)

 

[TomcatViP]

US Air Force?

Probably that the rocket was simply used to test the cone shape at the top that look like... A center body cone.

 

[drejr]

Pegasus is most likely Pegasus Laboratories, which manufactured servo systems for missile guidance.

 

[Dilandu]

Seems the mystery is solved:

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/flexible-lightweight-agile-guided-experiment-flage.33776/

With the exception of more elongated nose, this mystery missile looks exactly like the Mach 5 target used in FLAGE testing.