Black Knight (rocket)
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Sounding rocket |
| Manufacturer | Saunders-Roe |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Size | |
| Height | 10.2 - 11.6 m |
| Diameter | 0.91 m |
| Mass | 12,500 - 14,200 lb |
| Stages | 1 - 2 |
| Launch History | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch Sites | LA-5, Woomera |
| Total launches | 22 |
| Successes | 19 |
| Failures | 3 |
| Maiden flight | 7 September 1958 |
| Last flight | 25 November 1965 |
| First Stage - Black Knight | |
| Engines | 4 Gamma |
| Thrust | 21,610 lbf |
| Specific Impulse | 252 sec |
| Burn time | 155 seconds |
| Fuel | RP-1/HTP |
| Second Stage (Optional) - Cuckoo | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | TBC |
| Burn time | TBC |
| Fuel | Solid |
Black Knight was a British attempt to design a re-entry vehicle for the Blue Streak missile.
The United Kingdom's first home-grown rocketry project, Black Knight was manufactured on the Isle of Wight, had its engines tested at The Needles[1] and was trialed at Woomera in Australia. Originally designed in 1955 by the Royal Aviation Research Institute and Saunders-Roe, 22 missiles were fired between 1958 and 1965. The relatively small scale and single stage design of Knight meant that British scientists could gain valuable data for more ambitious later projects: each rocket cost only around £40,000.
After 1965 the Black Knight missile was re-developed into the Black Arrow satellite launch vehicle.
A Black Knight rocket is on display at the Royal Museum Connect Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands nearly 11m high and stretches up for three floors. [2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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British Cold War Defence Projects Air-to-air missiles Blue Sky | Blue Jay | Red Dean | Red Hebe | Blue Jay Mk 4 "Red Top" | Blue Vesta Air-to-surface missiles Surface-to-air missiles and satellite launch vehicles Red Duster | Red Shoes | Blue Streak | Black Arrow | Black Knight Surface-to-surface missile Orange William | Blue Rapier/Red Rapier cruise missiles Nuclear warheads Red Snow | Yellow Sun | Violet Club | Red Beard | Blue Danube | Blue Peacock Artillery Green Mace |
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