U.S. Army and Navy Early Military Rocket Trials (1926–1945)

1. Goddard launches first liquid-fueled rocket

   Mar 16, 1926Labels: Robert H, Auburn Massachusetts

   • NASA

2. Goddard’s Roswell testing program begins

   Jan 1, 1930Labels: Robert H, Roswell New

   • HISTORY

3. GALCIT starts organized U.S. rocket research

   Jan 1, 1936Labels: GALCIT, Theodore von

   • Caltech Archives

4. Navy-backed JATO work expands wartime rocket demand

   Jan 1, 1939Labels: JATO, U S

   • Caltech Archives

5. Army observes early JATO flight demonstrations

   Jan 1, 1941Labels: GALCIT, U S

   • NASA NTRS
   • JPL

6. Navy begins developing Mousetrap anti-submarine rockets

   Jan 1, 1941Labels: Mousetrap, U S

   • Mousetrap

7. Army and Ordnance formalize the 4.5-inch M8 rocket

   Jan 1, 1941Labels: M8 rocket, U S

   • M8 Rocket
   • Rock Island

8. Aerojet incorporated to manufacture JATO motors

   Mar 19, 1942Labels: Aerojet, GALCIT

   • NASA NTRS
   • Aerojet

9. M8 rockets enter U.S. service for battlefield use

   Jan 1, 1943Labels: M8 rocket, U S

   • M8 Rocket
   • Rock Island

10. JPL becomes an Army facility under Caltech contract

    Nov 1, 1943Labels: Jet Propulsion, Caltech

    • JPL
    • Caltech Archives

11. Navy’s HVAR program reaches operational combat use

    Jul 1, 1944Labels: HVAR, U S

    • Smithsonian HVAR
    • HVAR

12. Army-backed Private rocket tests begin at Camp Irwin

    Dec 1, 1944Labels: Private rocket, U S

    • Private Rocket

13. Germany surrenders; U.S. wartime rocket trials transition

    May 8, 1945Labels: VE Day, U S

    • Britannica