Waxwing (Rocket motor)
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Waxwing was a British solid rocket motor used for apogee kick as the 3rd (upper) stage of the Black Arrow satellite launch vehicles.
Design was by the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment (PERME) and manufacture by Bristol Aerojet. The casing was spherical and the propellant grain used an internal star profile to control the initial burn rate.
Waxwing was used to successfully place the Prospero X-3 satellite into low Earth orbit on 28 October 1971, Britain's only satellite launch on an indigenously-developed launch vehicle.
Another use of Waxwing was to increase the velocity of test re-entry vehicles on Black Knight during tests for the Blue Streak missile. [1]
| Thrust | 3,000kgf [2] 0.27 tonnes [3] |
| Specific impulse | 278 s [2] |
| Burn time | 28 s[2] 40 seconds [3] |
| Dimensions: [4] | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 28" |
| Overall length | 52" |
| Nozzle length | 22" |
| Nozzle diameter | 18" |
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[edit] References
- ^ Waxwing rocket motor.
- ^ a b c Wikipedia - Black Arrow
- ^ a b Black Arrow exhibit, Science Museum, London
- ^ Waxwing dimensional drawing. Space UK.
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