Black Arrow

Black Arrow was a British liquid-fuelled three-stage expendable launch system, and its fourth and final flight in 1971 placed the Prospero satellite into low Earth orbit, the first and only successful orbital launch conducted by the United Kingdom. It originated in studies by the Royal Aircraft Establishment for carrier rockets based on the earlier Black Knight, and the project was authorised by the British government in late 1964. Development was largely done by the prime contractor Saunders-Roe and later undertaken by Westland Aircraft after a merger. The first and second stages burned RP-1 paraffin, a form of kerosene, with high-test peroxide as the oxidiser, the first stage using a single eight-chamber Gamma 8 engine. Each vehicle was shipped to Australia and launched from the Woomera range. Four launches were made between 1969 and 1971, the first two as demonstrations, after which the programme was dropped in favour of American Scout rockets.