Explore the classified 1958 US Navy program that attempted to launch a satellite into orbit from underneath the wing of a jet fighter! Welcome to 6 Secret Launches From a Jet: The Satellite Never Confirmed. In this video from Epoch, we dive deep into Project Pilot (NOTS-EV-1 Pilot), where a desert team at China Lake built a tiny six-stage solid-fuel rocket to be “bomb-tossed” from an F4D Skyray fighter. From the intense pressure of the Space Race following Sputnik and the mystery of a single faint tracking beep heard in New Zealand, to the declassification of the program after 36 years, discover the fascinating, hidden history of the world’s first air-launched orbital rocket attempt!
