Waxwing (Rocket motor)

Waxwing (Rocket motor)

Waxwing was a British solid rocket motor used for apogee kick as the 3rd (upper) stage of the Black Arrow satellite launch vehicles.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. cite web
title=Waxwing rocket motor
url=http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/waxwing.htm]

Design and development

Design was by the Propellants, Explosives and Rocket Motor Establishment (PERME) and it was manufactured by Bristol Aerojet. The casing was spherical and the propellant grain used an internal star profile to control the initial burn rate.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rocket engine — RS 68 being tested at NASA s Stennis Space Center. The nearly transparent exhaust is due to this engine s exhaust being mostly superheated steam (water vapor from its propellants, hydrogen and oxygen) …   Wikipedia

  • Payload Assist Module — PAM D with the Phoenix spacecraft. The Star 48 B engine is shown being spun, fired, yo yo de spun and jettisoned. SBS 3 satellite with PAM D stage inside the space shuttle …   Wikipedia

  • Blue Streak missile — The Blue Streak missile was a British ballistic missile designed in 1955. The ballistic missile programme was cancelled in 1960 but the rocket was used as the first stage of the European satellite launcher Europa. Tested at Woomera test range,… …   Wikipedia

  • NERVA — For other uses, see Nerva (disambiguation). Diagram of the NERVA nuclear rocket engine NERVA is an acronym for Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application, a joint program of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and NASA managed by the Space… …   Wikipedia

  • Dushkin S-155 — S 155 Country of origin Soviet Union Manufacturer Dushkin OKB Application Booster rocket for aircraft Liquid fueled engine Propellant AK 20 (nitric acid) / TG 02 hypergolic kerose …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”