Launch Sites

The content for this page is outdated in many respects and requires a rebuild.
But for the moment I have just mirrored the page as it was on GeoCities
Douglas Ian Holland October 2009

Woomera

In the late 1940s, Britain's long-range weapons programme required a large area to serve as a test range. Areas in Canada and Wales were considered, but eventually the huge central Australian desert was chosen as the most suitable site. Construction, which included the building of a small town, began in 1947. The name "Woomera" was chosen because it is the Aboriginal word for a spear-throwing device.

Woomera was used to test a variety of British rocketry projects such as the Blue Steel, Bloodhound and Thunderbird missiles. However, perhaps its most important role was in the British and European space programmes. In 1957 the first Skylark sounding rocket was launched from Woomera, while the base was also used in the launching of the Black Knight re-entry test rockets.

Throughout the 1960s Woomera was used by ELDO to test the Europa I launch vehicle. When the project ended, though, launches of Europa II were moved to an Equatorial site at Korou, French Guinea. In 1967 Woomera became a spaceport when a Redstone rocket purchased from the USA placed Australia's first satellite in orbit. This was followed in 1971 by the first British satellite, Prospero, put into orbit on a Black Arrow rocket.

By the 1970s, however, the various British space projects were being cancelled, and although Woomera was still used as part of the Anglo-Australian defence "Joint Project" until 1980, the town went into decline. Recently, however, the American company Kistler Aerospace has stated an intention to use Woomera to launch satellites on reusable rockets. The 21st Century may see the Australian desert once again send satellites into orbit.

South Uist
South Uist island is part of the Hebrides group, North-West of the Scottish mainland. During the 1960s it was used to launch Skua meteorological rockets, while the late 1960s and early 1970s the British National Space Research Council (BNSRC) launched Skua II and Petrel rockets from the base as part of a project to investigate the upper atmosphere. Since 1979, no further launches have taken place from South Uist.

Aberporth
Aberporth Rocket Range is located near Aberystwyth, on the south coast of Wales. Originally, it was intended to be used for the testing of large rockets, and for Skylark sounding rocket launches. However, the large rocket programme was moved to Australia for safety reasons, as was Skylark, as the remote Woomera base provided extra security. Two test launches of Skylark did, however, take place from Aberporth in 1971. The Range is currently used by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).

Spadeadam
Spadeadam, on the Cumbrian coast, was the site of the test firings of the Blue Streak rockets before they were shipped to Australia for launch. During the 1960s, it was proposed that Spadeadam could be used as a launch site on UK soil. However, although a study showed that there were no real problems with the proposal, the plan was eventually rejected. This was due to concerns that siting such a potentially dangerous site in the UK would be politically unacceptable.

High Down
High Down, on the Isle of Wight, was used by the Saunders-Roe Aircraft company to test rocket engines, including those used in the Black Knight, Black Arrow and Blue Steel projects. Although long since closed, the test pads can still be seen from the sea, and plans have been put forward for a museum and heritage centre there.

Norfolk
As part of the Black Arrow launcher project, it was thought that UK satellites could be launched from a site on the north coast of Norfolk, an area with no landmass's between it and the Arctic. However, although a perfectly good idea in theory, the idea was scrapped when it became obvious that the flight path would pass over the then new North Sea oil rigs, endangering them and their crews.

More to come..

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