Véronique

Véronique was a French liquid-fuelled sounding rocket that was partly developed by German scientists who had worked in Peenemünde.

Based on the German V-2 rocket, Véronique was the first West European liquid-fuel research rocket. A successor to the cancelled Super V-2, the Véronique was built between 1950 and 1969 in several versions, of which the versions P2, P6 and R were only experimental models. They were made in Vernon, Eure. The name Veronique is a portmanteau of Vernon-électronique, and is also a common French first name.

The first Véronique launch, on 20 February 1954, resulted in a launch failure, followed by a second launch a day later, on 21 February reaching 84 miles (135 km) in altitude with diesel oil and nitric acid as fuel.

Félicette

Félicette was the only cat successfully launched into space. She was launched on 18 October 1963 as part of the French space program. Félicette was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. The cats had electrodes implanted onto their skulls so their neurological activity could be monitored throughout the flight. Electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg during the flight to stimulate responses. The capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket was ignited. Most of the data from the mission was of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight. A second feline was killed in a launch mishap on 24 October 1963.

Félicette had the designation of C 341 before the flight, and after the flight the media gave her the name Félix, after Félix the Cat. Centre d’Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) modified this to the feminine Félicette and adopted it as her official name. She has been commemorated on postage stamps around the world and a statue with her likeness is on display at the International Space University.