Black Knight (rocket)
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| Fact sheet | |
|---|---|
| Function | Vehicle for re-entry studies |
| 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 | 22 |
| Maiden flight | 7 September 1958 |
| Last flight | 25 November 1965 |
| First Stage - Black Knight | |
| Engines | Initially 4 chamber Gamma 201 , later 4 chamber Gamma 301 motor. |
| Thrust | from 15,600 to 21,600 lbf
depending on version. |
| Burn time | 120-145 seconds
depending on version |
| Fuel | RP-1/HTP |
| Second Stage (Optional) - Cuckoo | |
| Engines | 1 Solid |
| Thrust | 8,200 lbf |
| Specific Impulse | 213 seconds |
| Burn time | 10 seconds |
| Fuel | Solid |
Black Knight was a British launch vehicle to test and verify the design of a re-entry vehicle for the Blue Streak missile.
The United Kingdom's first indigenous rocketry project, Black Knight was manufactured on the Isle of Wight, had its engines tested at The Needles[1] and was launched at Woomera in Australia. Originally designed in 1955 by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and Saunders-Roe, 22 vehicles were fired between 1958 and 1965.
The rocket motors were designed and built by Armstrong-Siddeley at Anstey, near Coventry.
The first two vehicles were 'proving rounds' - that is, launches without a payload in order to prove the design of the rocket. The third firing carried a re-entry vehicle. This flight showed that the chosen design for the re-entry body was a success.
Further firings with different heads showed up some unusual phenomena, and further tests under the code names 'Gaslight' and 'Dazzle' were carried out in conjunction with the United States.
A variety of heads were flown in these tests, including a plain copper sphere and a silica sphere.
All the re-entry firings took place on clear moonless nights, so that the luminous wake of the re-entry body could be observed photographically.
An improved Black Knight, with the tank diameter increased from 36 inches to 54 inches, and a more powerful second stage, named Kestrel, was proposed for a further set of experiemnts codenamed 'Crusade'.
However, the Royal Aircraft Establishment made various studies into extending the vehicle into a satellite launcher. The Treasury refused to fund both projects, and the enlarged Black Knight was cancelled in favour of the Black Arrow satellite launcher.
25 Black Knight vehicles were built in total. One (BK02) was used for ground testing. One (BK11) was fired as part of the ELDO project, to check out range facilities. 21 were fired as part of the re-entry experiments. The remaining two (BK10 and BK22) are in museums in Edinburgh and Liverpool.
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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