... Credit Copyright: GRIN , NASA Explanation: A new chapter in space flight began this week in 1950 July with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral , Florida : the Bumper V-2. Shown above , the Bumper V-2 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program that topped a V-2 missile base with a WAC Corporal rocket. ... Launched under the direction of the General Electric Company , the Bumper V-2 was used primarily for testing rocket systems and for research on the upper atmosphere . ... July . ...