In 1955, an Isle of Wight company (Saunders-Roe) based in East Cowes was awarded a contract for the building of the Black Knight Sounding Rocket to study the effects of when a vehicle re-enters the atmosphere at high speed. Initially, this was to design a re-entry vehicle for the Blue Streak warhead, but the programme broadened out into a wider research programme after the cancellation of Blue Streak in April 1960.
Saunders-Roe built a motor test site at High Down on the Isle of Wight and used this site to test the kerosene and hydrogen peroxide liquid propelled Armstrong-Siddeley Gamma 201 & 301 engines.
All Black Knight launches from Woomera Rocket Range, Australia
|
Date
|
ID
|
Motor
|
Project
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 07 September 1958 | BK01 | Gamma 201 | Technology Test |
| 12 March 1959 | BK03 | Gamma 201 | Technology Test |
| 11 June 1959 | BK04 | Gamma 201 | Re-entry test |
| 29 June 1959 | BK05 | Gamma 201 | Re-entry test |
| 30 October 1959 | BK06 | Gamma 201 | Re-entry test |
| 24 May 1960 | BK08 | Gamma 201/Cuckoo-IB | Gaslight |
| 21 June 1960 | BK09 | Gamma 201/Cuckoo-IB | Gaslight |
| 25 July 1960 | BK07 | Gamma 201 | Gaslight |
| 07 February 1961 | BK13 | Gamma 201 | Gaslight |
| 09 May 1961 | BK14 | Gamma 201/Cuckoo-IB | Gaslight |
| 07 June 1961 | BK17 | Gamma 201/Cuckoo-IB | Gaslight |
| 01 May 1962 | BK15 | Gamma 201 | Gaslight |
| 24 August 1962 | BK16 | Gamma 301Cuckoo-IB | Dazzle |
| 27 November 1962 | BK18 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-IB | Dazzle |
| 17 Oct 1963 | BK11 | Gamma 201 | ELDO |
| 11 Mar 1964 | BK12 | Gamma 201/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 06 Aug 1964 | BK19 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 06 Nov 1964 | BK20 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 21 Apr 1965 | BK21 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 28 Jul 1965 | BK23 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 29 Sep 1965 | BK24 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
| 25 Nov 1965 | BK25 | Gamma 301/Cuckoo-II | Dazzle |
Project Description
Technology Test
The first two were not used for re-entry tests but to prove the vehicle.
Project Dazzle
A "Anglo-Australian-US" joint program, researching into the phenomena that occurs during re-entry.
Project Gaslight
Researching into the phenomena of "radar reflectivity variations" during re-entry.
Project ELDO
The "European Launcher Development Organization" was established to develop a satellite launch vehicle for Europe
Motor Classification
| Motor | Total Impulse (Ns) | #= Estes "D" (20Ns) motors |
| Gamma 201 | 75,000 | 3,750 |
| Gamma 301 | 95,000 | 4,750 |
| Cuckoo-IB | 360,000 | 18,000 |
| Cuckoo-II | 396,000 | 19,800 |
Dimensions
The single-stage Black Knight had an overall length of 10.16 metres, while the two-stage version (Gamma/Cuckoo configuration) was 11.6 metres long.
The diameter was 0.91 metres with a span across the fins of 2.13 metres.
