Waxwing (Rocket motor)
Encyclopedia
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
.
(RPE) at Westcott 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.
Specifications
Solid rocket
A solid rocket or a solid-fuel rocket is a rocket engine that uses solid propellants . The earliest rockets were solid-fuel rockets powered by gunpowder; they were used by the Chinese in warfare as early as the 13th century and later by the Mongols, Arabs, and Indians.All rockets used some form of...
motor used for apogee kick as the 3rd (upper) stage of the Black Arrow
Black Arrow
Black Arrow, officially capitalised BLACK ARROW, was a British satellite carrier rocket. Developed during the 1960s, it was used for four launches between 1969 and 1971...
satellite launch vehicles.
Waxwing was used to successfully place the Prospero X-3
Prospero X-3
-External links:* from "Woomera on the Web"* from Encyclopedia Astronautica* in the Global Frequency Database...
satellite into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
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
Black Knight (rocket)
Black Knight was a British launch vehicle to test and verify the design of a re-entry vehicle for the Blue Streak missile.The United Kingdom's first indigenous rocketry project, Black Knight was manufactured by Saunders-Roe on the Isle of Wight, had its engines tested at The Needles and was...
during tests for the Blue Streak missile
Blue Streak missile
The Blue Streak missile was a British medium range ballistic missile . The Operational Requirement for the missile was issued in 1955 and the design was complete by 1957...
.
Design and development
Design was by the Rocket Propulsion EstablishmentRocket Propulsion Establishment
The Rocket Propulsion Establishment at Westcott, Buckinghamshire on the site of the former RAF Westcott has made a number of notable contributions in the field of rocket propulsion, including input on the rocket design for the Blue Streak missile and the propulsion systems on Chevaline...
(RPE) at Westcott and it was manufactured by Bristol Aerojet
Bristol Aerojet
Bristol Aerojet was a joint venture between the Bristol Aeroplane Company of the United Kingdom and Aerojet General of the US began in 1959.Bristol converted one of its wartime shadow factories into a rocket manufacturing plant in 1956....
. The casing was spherical and the propellant grain used an internal star profile to control the initial burn rate.
Specifications
- Thrus: 3,000 kgf
0.27 tonnes - Specific impulseSpecific impulseSpecific impulse is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines. It represents the derivative of the impulse with respect to amount of propellant used, i.e., the thrust divided by the amount of propellant used per unit time. If the "amount" of propellant is given in terms of mass ,...
: 278 s - Burn time: 28 s
40 seconds - Dimensions:
- Diameter: 28 in (0.7112 m)
- Overall length: 52 in (1.3 m)
- Nozzle length: 22 in (0.5588 m)
- Nozzle diameter: 18 in (0.4572 m)