German V-2 (A-4)
Historical
The world's first long-range guided ballistic missile, and the technical root of postwar rocketry worldwide. Data sourced from Astronautix, Wikipedia, and This Day in Aviation — reasonable consensus figures, good as a hand-key simulator starting point, not for precision analysis.
Geometry
Overall length14.0 m
Body diameter1.65 m
Nose profilePointed ogive, integral warhead section
Fin span3.56 m (4 fins, swept leading edge)
Mass Properties
Gross liftoff mass12,900 kg
Empty (unfuelled) mass4,010 kg
Propellant massapprox. 8,900 kg (75% ethanol/25% water + liquid oxygen)
Propulsion
| Stage | Engine | Propellant | Thrust | Burn Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single stage | 1× liquid engine | 75% ethanol/water + LOX | approx. 265 kN (sea level) | approx. 65 s |
Aerodynamics
CDNot published; single-stage cylindrical body, tapered ogive nose, 4 tail fins
Flight Conditions
Launch modeVertical, pad-launched
Typical rangeapprox. 320 km
Typical apogeeapprox. 80–96 km on a ballistic trajectory (post-war sounding-rocket configurations reached higher, up to approx. 160+ km)