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Black Arrow
13m
Human (1.8m)
1.8m
Black Arrow / Credits: Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons)
United KingdomRetired1969–1971
Black Arrow
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The United Kingdom's only orbital launch vehicle — flew just once successfully before the programme was cancelled.
Black Arrow was the United Kingdom's only satellite launch vehicle. It successfully placed the Prospero satellite into orbit in October 1971 — just two months after the programme was cancelled on cost grounds. The UK remains the only country to have developed and then abandoned an independent orbital launch capability. All flights took place from Woomera Test Range in Australia.
Fun facts
Britain cancelled the Black Arrow programme just 2 months before its only successful orbital launch.
The UK is the only nation to have independently achieved orbit and then abandoned the capability.
The single satellite launched, Prospero, was still transmitting signals into the 2000s.
Height
13 m
Diameter
2 m
Mass
18.1 t
Stages
3
Thrust
219 kN
Payload LEO
100 kg
Payload GTO
—
Total flights
2
Success rate50.0%
1 success1 failure
Launch pads
- Woomera, Australia
No upcoming launches scheduled.
