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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1080.PDF
28 FLIGHT International, 5 July 1962 Number of Stages Overall Height (in) Max body diameter (in) LaunchWeight (lb) Max payioad (lb) Max altitude (miles) Corresponding payioad (lb) Dia- mant 3 688 55.12 39.680 — 185* 175 CHARACTERISTICS Saphir 2 650 55.12 37.480 1.060 1,180 110 Erne- raude 1 650 55.12 35,275 5,225 340 440 Bere nice 4 513 — 6,615 200 600 130 OF FRENCH Antares 4 477 — 3,925 75 175 75 Pegase 3 417 22 4,410 70 590 70 LAUNCH VEHICLES Agate 2 335 — 7,055 320 90 1 10 Daniel 3 334 — 2,850 25 80 25 Eridan 1 328 22 4,420 705 250 705 Vero- nique 1 287 28 < 15,430 —220 155 130 Drago n 2 279 22 2.550 70 250 70 Topaze 1 278 31.5 6.305 1.060 80 1.060 Cen- taure 2 237 12 1,030 70 90 70 Belier 1 158 12 695 70 50 70 * Satellite orbit perigee. Missiles and Spaceflight By 1958 the basic payioad and altitude requirements had been agreed: 32kg to be carried to heights of 80, 140, 400 and 1,000km (701b to heights of 50, 87, 250 and 620 miles). The minimum requirement was met by a single-stage rocket, which has been named Belier. Design and manufacture was subcontracted by CNET to Sud-Aviation, who carried out the work at Courbevoie under the direction of M Servanty (who is now leading the much larger team working on the Super Caravel le at Toulouse). Belier is built around a standard Service des Poudres solid- propellant motor named Jericho, rated at 4,4001b thrust at sea level. The airframe is built up from standard aircraft sheet, using mainly riveted construction. Above the motor is a standard instrumentation package contained within a conical nose, and the information from it is transmitted through cables faired along the outside of the motor leading to the aerial assemblies carried on the four fixed fins. The launching is near-vertical, and the only guidance is stabilization by spin induced by "impulsers" on two of the fins. Sud-Aviation and CNET jointly developed ground-handling equipment, a mobile launching ramp and ground telemetry, radio- command and tracking systems. The first two test firings took place at Colomb-Bechar, Sahara, on May 24 and 25, 1961, the results being most satisfactory. The existence of the project was revealed in the same month, when B07, the seventh Belier produced, was exhibited at the Mesucora meeting held by the French Physical Society in Paris (photograph on page 29). At least 20 Beliers have been delivered. Centaure Second in the CNET/Sud family of sounding rockets, the Centaure comprises a Belier mounted as second stage above a Venus boost motor rated at 8,8001b thrust. Flight testing of the first two examples took place successfully at Colomb-Bechar on May 27 and 29, 1961, one of these shots reaching over 200km (125 miles). Again, some 20 rounds have been delivered to CNET. Topaze Smallest of the fat SEREB vehicles, this multi-purpose single-stage rocket is produced jointly by that organization and Sud-Aviation. The lsolan polyurethane-type propellant is dis charged through four vectorable nozzles to provide complete control from the moment of lift-off. The nozzles are surrounded by In a leading article in last week's issue it was suggested that the French are firmly and surely taking the lead in European space research. This series of scale drawings emphasizes that they are achieving this not with words but with hardware. All these vehicles are entirely French in design and construction. Not shown here is the second stage which France will provide for the proposed ELD0 heavy launcher; it will broadly resemble the first stage of Diamant BERENICE DIAMANT EMERAUDE ANTARES AGATE
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