Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle

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The Blue Streak Satellite Launch Vehicle is the name given to a range of proposals for a satellite launch vehicle based on the Blue Streak missile developed by the UK around the period from 1957 to 1972.^[1] However, none of these were ever built in full and today only exist in design. The Blue Streak missile was eventually tested as the Europa rocket, designed by the European Launcher Development Organisation,^[2] although this too ended in failure due to lack of funds, despite the fact that Blue Streak itself worked almost perfectly.^[3]

Most, although not all, designs were based on using Blue Streak as a first stage, and a usually modified Black Knight as a second stage.^[4]

Contents 1 Royal Aircraft Establishment proposals 1.1 1957 Design 1.2 1972 Design 2 De Havilland/British Interplanetary Society proposal 3 Black Prince 3.1 Overview 3.2 High Energy Upper Stage 3.3 Cancellation 4 Saunders Roe proposal 5 References 6 See also

[edit] Royal Aircraft Establishment proposals

[edit] 1957 Design

In 1957 Desmond King Hele and Doreen Gilmour of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) designed a plan for a satellite launcher based on a simple combination of Blue Streak and Black Knight before either had even been tested.^[1] Payloads were estimated to be around 2,280 lb for a 200 nm orbit and 2,117 lb for a 400 nm orbit. However, the design was considered to be inefficient and difficult because of the large differences in the diameters of the 10 foot wide Blue Streak and the three foot Black Knight. Fitting satellites into a three foot capsule could also have been a challenge.^[5] Nevertheless, these difficulties were also encountered with American rockets including the Thor and Atlas which became successful launchers.^[6]

[edit] 1972 Design

One other plan put forward by the RAE was to use Blue Streak with an American Centuar upper stage, as opposed to a British one. The Centaur second stage could be built in the UK under licence or bought directly from the USA. Both Centaur and Blue Streak had proved to be very reliable up to this point, and since they were both already designed development costs would have been low. Furthermore, it had a good payload: 870-920 kg in geosynchronous orbit with and 650-700 kg without booster rockets.^[7]

[edit] De Havilland/British Interplanetary Society proposal

In 1959 de Havilland decided to solve the problem of the Blue Streak/Black Knight geometry by compressing the 30 by 3 foot Black Knight into a 10 foot diameter sphere. Although this seemed logical at the time, the development costs yet again proved to be too high for the UK to develop on its limited budget.^[6]

[edit] Black Prince

[edit] Overview

In 1959 on the request of the government the RAE and Saunders Roe designed a launcher based on Blue Streak and Black Knight before Blue Streak was cancelled as a weapon in 1960. The design used a Blue Streak first stage and a 54 inch modified Black Knight second stage.^[8] The third stage could be replaced with several designs which would put different masses in different orbits. Those given by Saunders Roe and the RAE were 300 nm for 'experiments in stellar UV spectroscopy,' a 300-700 nm orbit for 'enabling investigations of the Earth's radiation belts,' and 300-100,000 nm for a 'Space probe.'^[9]

[edit] High Energy Upper Stage

One problem with Black Prince was that the relative power of the rocket reduced with altitude.^[10] The solution requested by the government and provided by Saunders Roe was to use a high-energy Liquid Hydrogen third stage which would increase the amount that Black Prince could carry 900 lb to a 5000 nm orbit and 600 lb into a 9,000 nm orbit. The cost of developing the liquid hydrogen stage was estimated to be between 5-7 million pounds.^[11]

[edit] Cancellation

Australia and Canada were not interested in a Commonwealth launch vehicle, since the government of John Diefenbaker in Canada was already spending more money than publicly acknowledged on Alouette and Australia was not interested full stop. South Africa was no longer in the Commonwealth and any contribution by New Zealand was likely to be "modest."^[12] However, the French showed interest, although they were suspected of trying to get technical information for their own missile programme.^[10] However, Saunders Roe continued to design new configurations even when Black Prince was cancelled became a part of ELDO.^[11]

[edit] Saunders Roe proposal

Saunders Roe proposed a launch vehicle where Blue Streak would form the first stage, and Black Arrow would form the second and third stages. It would have been capable of putting around 3000 lbs in low Earth orbit and a few hundred pounds in geostationary orbit. It is thought that Saunders Row were considering communications satellites as a use for this rocket, since they designed a pair of solid motors under the payload that would be able to accurately place a satellite in the correct geostationary orbit. They believed such a rocket would be a success since Russian and American launchers were restricted as to who could access them.^[13][14]

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 117. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
2. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 153. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
3. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 151. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
4. ^ http://members.aol.com/nicholashl/ukspace/hill.pdf
5. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 118. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
6. ^ ^{a b} Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 119. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
7. ^ http://www.spaceuk.org/bstreak/bs/bs_centaur.html
8. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 124. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
9. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 125. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
10. ^ ^{a b} Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 127. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
11. ^ ^{a b} Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 130. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
12. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 126. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
13. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 123. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9
14. ^ Hill, C N: "A Vertical Empire.", page 220. Imperial College Press, 2001 ISBN 1-86094-267-9

[edit] See also

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 Green Cheese | Blue Steel 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