Britain was unable to purchase American weapons wholesale due to the restrictions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. In April 1954 the Americans proposed a joint development programme for ballistic missiles.
Britain was unable to purchase American weapons wholesale due to the restrictions of the Atomic Energy Act of 1946. In April 1954 the Americans proposed a joint development programme for ballistic missiles.
The proposal was accepted as part of the Wilson-Sandys Agreement of August 1954, which provided for collaboration, exchange of information, and mutual planning of development programmes.
The operational requirement for the missile was issued in 1955 and the design was complete by 1957.
RAF Upavon would appear to have been the preferred location for the prototype operational launcher with the former RNAS at Crail as the likely first operational site. In 1955–1956, the rocket motors were test-fired at The Needles Batteries on the Isle of Wight.
The operational requirement for the missile was issued in 1955 and the design was complete by 1957.
The Blue Streak first stage was successfully tested three times at the Woomera test range in Australia as part of the ELDO programme. === Black Prince === In 1959, a year before the cancellation of the Blue Streak as a missile, the government requested that the RAE and Saunders-Roe design a carrier rocket based on Blue Streak and Black Knight.
The missile project was cancelled in 1960, with US-led Skybolt the preferred replacement. Partly to avoid political embarrassment from the cancellation, the UK government proposed that the rocket be used as the first stage of a civilian satellite launcher called Black Prince.
A part of the Blue Streak rocket launched on 5 June 1964 from Woomera, Australia, found 50 km SE of Giles in 1980 (c.1000 km) is on display at Giles Weather Station.
Blue Streak was cancelled without entering full production. The project was intended to maintain an independent British nuclear deterrent, replacing the V bomber fleet which would become obsolete by 1965.
Italy worked on the satellite project, the Netherlands and Belgium concentrated on tracking and telemetry systems and Australia supplied the launch site. The combined launcher was named Europa. After ten test launches, the Woomera launch site was not suitable for putting satellites into geosynchronous orbit, and in 1966 it was decided to move to the French site of Kourou in South America.
To maintain this compatibility, the first stage diameter was given in metres, although the rest of the rocket was defined in imperial units. Black Arrow carried out four test launches (without an additional Blue Streak stage) from Woomera between 1969 and 1971, with the final launch carrying the satellite Prospero X-3 into orbit.
F11 was fired from here in November 1971, but the failure of the autopilot caused the vehicle to break up.
To maintain this compatibility, the first stage diameter was given in metres, although the rest of the rocket was defined in imperial units. Black Arrow carried out four test launches (without an additional Blue Streak stage) from Woomera between 1969 and 1971, with the final launch carrying the satellite Prospero X-3 into orbit.
Following launch failures, the ELDO project was cancelled in 1972 and Blue Streak with it. ==Background== Post-war Britain's nuclear weapons armament was initially based on free-fall bombs delivered by the V bomber force.
The United Kingdom remains the only country to have developed and then abandoned a satellite launch capability. ===Hawker Siddeley Dynamics proposal=== In 1972, Hawker Siddeley Dynamics produced a brochure for a design using Blue Streak as the first stage of a two-stage to orbit rocket, with an American Centaur upper stage.
A part of the Blue Streak rocket launched on 5 June 1964 from Woomera, Australia, found 50 km SE of Giles in 1980 (c.1000 km) is on display at Giles Weather Station.
Images of the Blue Streak 1 are incorporated in the 1997 film Contact. ==See also== List of missiles Rainbow Codes Black Arrow Black Knight Skylark Silbervogel Nuclear weapons and the United Kingdom Martu ==Notes== ==References== Boyes, J.
Another piece was located in 2006, but its exact location has been kept secret by the finders.
11 August 2007. [http://www.flightglobal.com/airspace/photos/missilespacesystemscutaways/de-havilland-dh-blue-streak-cutaway-9672.aspx] A cutaway drawing of the Blue Streak. U1 underground launcher Spadeadam.
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