LEGO Designer:
Dan Fallon (phreaddee)
Designed:
July 2021
Categories:
All, Launch Vehicles, Suborbital and Sounding Rockets
Launch Vehicle Details
Stages:
1-2
Length:
10.2m - 11.6m
Diameter:
0.91m
Mass at Launch:
12,500 - 14,200 lb
Low Earth Orbit Capacity:
115kg (to 800km)
Total Thrust:
15,600 - 21,600 lb
Apogee:
800km
Class:
Sub-orbital
Black Knight was a British research ballistic missile, originally developed to test and verify the design of a re-entry vehicle for the Blue Streak missile. It was the United Kingdom’s first indigenous expendable launch project.
Design work on what would become the Black Knight launch vehicle commenced in 1955, being performed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) and British manufacturer Saunders-Roe. Saunders-Roe was the principal manufacturer for the Black Knight at its facility on the Isle of Wight. On 7 September 1958, the first Black Knight was launched at Woomera in Australia. Between 1958 and 1965, a total of 22 launch vehicles were fired, none of which having suffered any major failures. After 22 launches, the Black Knight programme was closed.
The Black Knight was a single stage ballistic missile, complete with a separate nose section. The vehicle was 35 feet long, had a 3-foot diameter, and a fully fuelled weight of 12,500lb. In operation, the Black Knight could attain an altitude of up to 600 miles, and achieve a re-entry velocity of 12,000 feet per second.
Woomera LA-5A was a dedicated launch site for the Black Knight. First Launch from the site was 7 September 1958 with the last being on 7 May 1961. Woomera LA-5B which was primarily used for the Black Arrow launches also Launched Black Knight rockets.
The Black Knight was also put forth as the second stage for the proposed Black Prince rocket, which used a Blue Streak as its first stage. The British government promoted the concept to other potential partners across Europe and the Commonwealth of Nations, however it became clear that the necessary backing would not be forthcoming. Work on the Black Prince launcher came to an effective halt shortly after the formation of the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) working group and a government decision to proceed with British participation in the multinational Europa launcher programme instead.
Part count: bricks, lots.
| Unit | width | length | height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studs | |||
| Inches | |||
| Centimetres |
Nr TypeNr Vehicle Serial Date LS Suc Payload
1 1 Black Knight-201 BK.01 07.09.1958 Wo LA-5A * R&D
2 2 Black Knight-201 BK.03 12.03.1959 Wo LA-5A * R&D
3 3 Black Knight-201 BK.04 11.06.1959 Wo LA-5A * R&D
4 4 Black Knight-201 BK.05 29.06.1959 Wo LA-5A * R&D
5 5 Black Knight-201 BK.05 30.10.1959 Wo LA-5A * R&D
6 1 Black Knight-201 Cuckoo-1B BK.08 24.05.1960 Wo LA-5A * F Gaslight
7 2 Black Knight-201 Cuckoo-1B BK.09 21.06.1960 Wo LA-5A * Gaslight
8 6 Black Knight-201 BK.07 25.07.1960 Wo LA-5A * Gaslight
9 7 Black Knight-201 BK.13 07.02.1961 Wo LA-5A * Gaslight
10 3 Black Knight-201 Cuckoo-1B BK.14 09.05.1961 Wo LA-5B * F Gaslight
11 4 Black Knight-201 Cuckoo-1B BK.17 07.06.1961 Wo LA-5 * F Gaslight
12 8 Black Knight-201 BK.15 01.05.1962 Wo LA-5 * Gaslight
13 1 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-1B BK.16 24.08.1962 Wo LA-5 * Gaslight
14 2 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-1B BK.18 29.11.1962 Wo LA-5 * Gaslight
15 9 Black Knight-201 BK.11 17.10.1963 Wo LA-5 * Blue Streak Test
16 1 Black Knight-201 Cuckoo-2 BK.12 11.03.1964 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
17 1 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.19 05.08.1964 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
18 2 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.20 06.11.1964 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
19 3 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.21 21.04.1965 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
20 4 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.23 26.07.1965 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
21 5 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.24 28.09.1965 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
22 6 Black Knight-301 Cuckoo-2 BK.25 25.11.1965 Wo LA-5 * Dazzle
Launch sites:
Wo = Woomera Instrumented Range, Woomera, South Australia, Australia
Launch History information from space.skyrocket.de
Launch History information from space.skyrocket.de
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