The First Space Exploration

In July 1950 the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida launched; the Bumper was a two-stage rocket. It topped a V-2 missile base with a WAC Corporal rocket. It could reach then-record altitudes of almost 400 km. Launched by General Electric Company, this Bumper was used primarily for testing rocket systems and for research on the upper atmosphere . Bumper rockets carried small payloads that allowed them to measure attributes including air temperature and cosmic ray impacts.

Source: Wikipedia