On February 16, 1961, Scout became the first solid-propellant vehicle to orbit a satellite (Explorer 9). It is a four-stage launch vehicle that can perform a variety of space and reentry research tasks. Its relatively low cost has made it a popular choice for many satellite programs, including Transit navigation satellites, the Small Astronomy and Small Scientific Satellites, the Beacon Explorer, Hawkeye, Micrometeoroid, Meteoroid Technology, and Solrad satellites. The rocket has also been used extensively to launch foreign satellites. ANS-A (Netherlands), GRP-A (Germany), UK-5 (England), Eole (France), San Marco 5 (Italy), and the ESRO satellites for the European Space Research Organization (now European Space Agency) have all gone aloft aboard Scout launch vehicles.

The satellite in the nose of the Scout on exhibit is an INJUN/Air Density Explorer identical to that launched from Wallops Island, Virginia, on August 8, 1968.

Scout was built by the LTV Aerospace Corporation for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense.

The Scout is from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and LTV Aerospace Corporation.