# Thor-Burner

> American expendable launch system, a member of the Thor rocket family

**Wikidata**: [Q2918347](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2918347)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor-Burner)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/thor-burner

## Summary
Thor-Burner is an American expendable launch system that belongs to the Thor rocket family. It was manufactured by Douglas and used primarily for launching meteorological satellites.

## Key Facts
- Thor-Burner is a member of the Thor rocket family, an American rocket family
- Manufactured by Douglas, a major aerospace company
- Country of origin: United States
- Used to launch DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) satellites
- Has 9 sitelinks across multiple language Wikipedias
- Has a dedicated Commons category for media files

## FAQs
### Q: What is Thor-Burner used for?
A: Thor-Burner is an expendable launch system used to deploy satellites into orbit, particularly meteorological satellites for the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.

### Q: Who manufactured the Thor-Burner?
A: The Thor-Burner was manufactured by Douglas, a major American aerospace company.

### Q: What rocket family does Thor-Burner belong to?
A: Thor-Burner is part of the Thor rocket family, a series of American expendable launch systems.

## Why It Matters
Thor-Burner represents an important chapter in American space launch capabilities during the Cold War era. As part of the Thor rocket family, it provided reliable access to space for critical military and scientific payloads. The system's ability to launch meteorological satellites was particularly valuable for weather forecasting and military operations, where accurate atmospheric data could mean the difference between mission success and failure. Its development by Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) contributed to the company's legacy in aerospace engineering and helped establish the United States' dominance in space launch technology during this period.

## Notable For
- Member of the established Thor rocket family lineage
- Reliable expendable launch system for military meteorological satellites
- Manufactured by aerospace pioneer Douglas
- Supported critical weather monitoring capabilities
- Part of America's space launch infrastructure development

## Body
### Technical Classification
Thor-Burner is classified as an expendable launch system, meaning it's designed for single-use missions where the entire vehicle is expended during the launch process. As a member of the Thor rocket family, it shares design heritage with other Thor variants developed throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

### Manufacturing and Development
The system was produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, a major American aerospace manufacturer. Douglas had extensive experience in rocket development, having previously worked on missile systems and other launch vehicles. The Thor-Burner represents the company's contribution to the evolving needs of military and scientific satellite deployment.

### Launch Applications
Primary users of the Thor-Burner were military and government agencies requiring reliable access to low Earth orbit. The system was particularly suited for launching smaller payloads, including the DMSP satellites that provided critical weather data for military operations.

### Documentation and Media
The launch system has been documented in various media, with at least one notable photograph available showing a Thor-Burner 2 configuration with a DMSP 4A F1 satellite in 1966. This image is preserved in Wikimedia Commons, demonstrating the historical significance of these launches.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Thor-Burner",
  "description": "American expendable launch system, a member of the Thor rocket family",
  "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor-Burner",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15241312",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor-Burner"
  ],
  "additionalType": "Launch Vehicle"
}

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013