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Britain’s Lipstick Rocket, and why it gave up on the space race.

Why Britain is the only country in the world to have abandoned a successful Space Programme.

By WoorLord Thu 11 May, 2023 4:20 PM
As a country Britain holds many global firsts, but probably the most surprising for a nation that gave the world Sir Isaac Newton, and the very notion of gravity, is that Britain was the first (and so far only) nation to develop, and then abandon, a successful space programme.

The 1960s, amid the height of the “Cold War,” was an age of one-upmanship and competition. Nations around the world competed to be the highest, the fastest, or the first at almost anything. Nowhere was this competition more evident than in the field of space exploration. In 1964 the British Government threw their hat into the ring and commenced their own space programme, this new project was to be called BLACK ARROW.

Name:  BlackArrowCreditFlickrARTQ55.jpg
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Mockup of the BLACK ARROW Rocket

BLACK ARROW was a three-stage kerosene and hydrogen peroxide fuelled rocket, with a solid fuelled third stage, standing 13 meters high and weighing almost 40,000lbs, the rocket was designed for small payloads of around 135kg. The Government considered numerous launch sites, before finally opting for the Woomera Range Complex in the deserts of South Australia, which was already being used by the British for test launches of the Black Knight rocket, a military precursor to the BLACK ARROW, which was itself cancelled after the UK purchased Polaris Missiles from the USA as its preferred nuclear missile system. Whilst BLACK ARROW was to be launched from Australia, it was to be made in various locations across the UK, including the Isle of Wight and Essex, before being shipped to Australia for assembly and launch.

Off to a rocky start:
The maiden launch of the first BLACK ARROW rocket on 28 June 1969 was a failure, with the vehicle being destroyed remotely having only reached around 9,000 feet. Investigations uncovered there had been an electrical fault within the first stage combustion unit, which caused the vehicle to oscillate wildly the moment it left the pad (you can see that clearly in the video below). The second launch in March the following year was successful and was the first time the vehicle had its third stage fairing section painted bright red, earning it the nickname the “Lipstick Rocket.”

Following on from this success, the third launch in September 1970 was the first attempt by Britain to launch a satellite into low-Earth orbit. Carrying the British Orba Satellite, it looked as if the launch would be successful, however, the attempt ultimately failed due to a leak in the second stage oxidiser pressurisation system, which caused the engine to shut down prematurely. Whilst the final solid fuel stage ignited as planned, the third stage did not reach orbit and the payload was lost on re-entry.

BLACK ARROW would wait another year before its fourth and final launch attempt which was scheduled for October 1971. Incredibly, whilst the rocket was on board a ship heading to Australia, the British Government announced the cancellation of the entire project, citing economic reasons. As the rocket was already in transit, however, the launch was given the go ahead and on 28th October 1971 the BLACK ARROW lifted off successfully and delivered the British Prospero satellite into low Earth orbit – making Britain the sixth country ever to successfully build and launch a satellite on its own domestic rocket.



Economic with the truth
Whilst the UK Government initially cited economical reasons for the cancellation of the programme, it is clear now that these concerns were overstated. Whilst making rockets in England and transporting them to Australia sounds expensive, the cost of the BLACK ARROW project was relatively cheap, mainly because it reused technology and ideas from the previous Black Knight Missile Project. Overall, the cost of developing BLACK ARROW was around £10 million (approximately £100m in today’s money), a fraction of the cost of other space programmes at the time like NASA.

In truth, the BLACK ARROW was a victim of the political decisions of the day. Behind the scenes, NASA had offered the UK free access to its own SCOUT(Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test) launch system, although this offer was later withdrawn by the Americans. A far bigger consideration for the British was the decision by the then UK Prime Minister, Sir Edward Heath, to agree to shelve the BLACK ARROW project upon entry to the Common Market, (now called the European Union), to calm French anxieties around competition to their own Diamant launch system which was also under development. The British system was mothballed, whilst the French system would eventually go on to spawn the European Launch system, Ariane.

Ultimately it was politics that finally put away the “Lipstick Rocket,” and left Britain as the only country in the world to have abandoned a successful space programme.

What do you think about the article? Did you know Britain had its own "lipstick" rocket? Please let us know in the comments!

WRITTEN BY WoorLord
EDITED BY Solace
IMAGES SOURCED FROM artq55 on Flickr
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