SPACE — On October 28, 1971, Britain launched the first satellite it built and launched itself. The satellite was named Prospero, but was also known as X-3.
This was not the UK’s first satellite, but it was the first and only satellite launched by the UK space program on one of its own rockets. The first six British satellites were all launched from the United States on NASA rockets. Prospero was launched on a carrier rocket called the Black Arrow.
The Prospero mission was the fourth and final flight of the black rocket. Prospero is designed to study how the environment in space affects communications satellites.
It tests solar cells and telemetry systems, and even has a micrometeoroid detector. Because of this, it is able to detect small particles in space that pose a threat to spacecraft.
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The mission took off from the Woomera Range Complex in Australia. Despite a successful launch, the rocket’s final stage crashed into the satellite after separating, and the impact broke one of Prospero’s four radio antennas. However, the satellite was still functional and remained operational until 1973. Source: Space.com
2023-10-28 14:55:00
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