Conestoga (rocket)

The Conestoga was a rocket design funded by Space Services Inc. of America (SSIA) of Houston, Texas. Conestoga originally consisted of surplus Minuteman missile stages with additional strap-on boosters, as required for larger payloads. It was the world's first privately funded commercial rocket, but was launched only three times (once as a modified design) before the program was shut down.
Percheron
SSIA had originally intended to use a design by Gary Hudson, Percheron, which was intended to dramatically lower the price of space launches. Key to the design was a simple pressure-fed kerosene-oxidizer engine that was intended to reduce the cost of the expendable booster. Various loads could be accommodated by clustering the basic modules together. SSIA conducted an engine test firing of the Percheron on Matagorda Island on August 5, 1981, but the rocket exploded due to a malfunction. SSIA then parted ways with Hudson.
Conestoga I
SSIA...