Skylark (rocket)
British sounding rocket family / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Skylark was a family of British sounding rockets. It was operational between 1957 and 2005.
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |
Function | Sounding rocket |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Royal Aircraft Establishment |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Size | |
Height | 7.60 m |
Diameter | 0.44 m |
Mass | 1100 kg |
Stages | Initially 1. Later versions had 1 - 3 stages. |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired 2005 |
Launch sites | Woomera, Esrange, and others |
Total launches | 441 total,[1] 266 British.[2] |
First flight | 13 February 1957 |
Last flight | 2 May 2005 |
First stage - Skylark | |
Engines | Initially one RPE Raven 1 total impulse 1450 kNs.[2] Later versions also used Cuckoo, Goldfinch, Gosling, Heron and Raven engines in various marks and combinations.[2] |
Thrust | Initially 44.00 kN |
Burn time | Initially 30 s[2] |
Propellant | Initially 840 kg of ammonium perchlorate, polyisobutylene binder and aluminum powder (Raven 1)[3] |
Development of the Skylark begun during the early 1950s at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE), which approached the Royal Society with an offer for it to carry scientific experiments. During early 1955, the British government agreed to provide £100,000 to support the programme's operations for four years. Development of the Skylark, initially known as the CTV.5 Series 3, was pursued at a rapid pace, with hopes that initial launches could take place during the latter half of 1956. On 7 April 1956, the existence of the Skylark rocket was publicly revealed under the early name of Gassiot vehicle. Launch facilities were established at the existing Woomera missile range in Australia; the Skylarks were produced in Britain and flown to Australia for final assembly, testing, and launching.
The Skylark was first launched on 13 February 1957; the first scientific mission occurred during April 1958, quickly becoming regarded as a valuable platform for various fields of research. The vast majority of launches would be performed from Woomera, although other launch sites would later be used at sites across Europe and South America. The British government opted to terminate its support of the programme in 1977, with responsibility for Skylark being turned over to British Aerospace. It continued to be operated for decades more. The 441st and final launch of the Skylark took place from Esrange, Sweden, on 2 May 2005. Launches had been carried out from various purposes, with some military missions being flown, users extended far beyond the UK to include NASA, the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), and German and Swedish space organizations.[4]