Diamant
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2013) |
SEREB | |
Country of origin | France |
---|---|
Size | |
Height |
|
Diameter | 1.34 m (4 ft 5 in) |
Mass | 18,400 kg (40,600 lb) |
Stages | 3 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | |
Mass | 160 kg (350 lb) |
Launch history | |
Status | Retired |
Launch sites | A: Solid |
The Diamant rocket (French for "
During 1962, development of the Diamant commenced as the inaugural
Three successive versions of the Diamant
Development
Background
During the late 1940s and 1950s, substantial interest arose amongst the international powers of the era in the development of
While Britain forged ahead with programmes such as the Black Knight ballistic missile demonstrator and the military-orientated Blue Steel missile programme, France also made progress on its own efforts.[4] During 1949, the French government established the Laboratoire de Recherches Balistiques et Aérodynamiques at Vernon, outside Paris, for the purpose of pursuing its own military-focused ballistic missiles programmes. The agency initially conducted relatively straightforward and cost-conscious programmes, such as the development of the V2-based Veronique liquid-fuelled rocket in cooperation with a number of German scientists, which first flew during 1954.[5] During 1957, having been suitably encouraged by the progress made, the Comité d'Action Scientifique de Défense Nationale (CASDN) decided to finance further refinements of the Veronique rocket.[6]
During 1958, French wartime military leader Charles de Gaulle became President of France, establishing the Fifth Republic.[6] De Gaulle, who was openly keen to develop a capable and fully independent French nuclear deterrent, determined that French-built missiles could comprise a potent element of the French military's fledgling nuclear arsenal, known as the Force de frappe; further impetus in favour of missile development was generated by the Sputnik crisis, a fear that other powers were falling behind the Soviet Union's progress in missile development, which had been provoked by the USSR's success with Sputnik 1, the first man-made satellite to be successfully orbited.[6] A greatly expanded and renewed framework for missile-related development was promptly issued alongside generous government support for scientific research; specifically, the new efforts covered technologies such as intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missile, and reconnaissance satellites.[6]
Emergence and success
During 1959, the French government established the Comité de Recherches Spatiales (CRS), which would later be renamed as the Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES).[6] The newly formed CRS, initially chaired by the French physicist Pierre Auger, was tasked with the coordination of all French research efforts in the field of space. From an early stage, the organisation's primary goal was to pursue the development of an indigenous expendable launch system with which payloads, such as satellites, could be launched into orbit.[6] The indigenous launcher, which was promptly named Diamant, drew heavily from the military ballistic missile programmes which had preceded it; as such, much of the rocket's design was based upon these early missiles.[6]
On 26 November 1965, the first Diamant rocket was fired from its launch site, the
On 10 March 1970, the first Diamant B rocket, an improved model of the launcher, was fired, carrying a pair of scientific satellite, named DIAL/MIKA and DIAL/WIKA, into orbit.[6] Only one of the two satellites, which had been produced as a collaborative effort between France and Germany to study the Van Allen radiation belt around the Earth, survived the launch process.[9][10] Overall, the Diamant rocket came to be recognised as a successful and reliable launch vehicle, competitive amongst even the best of its international competitors throughout the world during its time.[11]
Successor and discontinuation
While Diamant had proven to be a viable and reliable launcher, the sheer size of the American and Soviet space programmes far exceeded what would be realistically achievable not only by France but by any of the independent nations of western Europe.[3] As this realisation became prevalent, it was also recognised that cooperative efforts between nations and a new generation of international programmes would enable these nations to play a much greater and significant role in space exploration. Early collaborative programmes, such as the European Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) and European Space Research Organisation (ESRO), bore mixed results but showed the promise of such endeavours, thus a greater emphasis was placed upon international efforts on the topic of space.[3]
As a consequence of Britain's withdrawal from participation in the ELDO, it was decided to replace the British-built Blue Streak, which comprised the first stage of the organisation's multinational launcher, known as Europa, with the French-built Diamant taking its place.[12] All work on the Europa programme was terminated only a few years later due to the high failure rate encountered. Meanwhile, Britain decided to focus its efforts on the indigenous Black Arrow launcher instead.
During 1974, the European Space Agency (ESA) was founded for this purpose; the ESA effectively enabled the competing and overlapping national space programmes to be succeeded by a single organised multinational framework with work shared between the member states instead.[3] Specifically, in 1976, work commenced on the new collaborative Ariane 1 launcher, the first version of what would become the highly successful Ariane family. The existence of the Ariane programme, a rival launcher to the earlier Diamant rocket, effectively replaced the demand for and the role of France's indigenous launcher, rendering it obsolete and redundant in comparison. France ultimately decided to discontinue further launches using Diamant in favour of the newer Ariane platform.[3]
Variants
Diamant A
This was the first version of the Diamant rockets, operational between 1965 and 1967.
Diamant B
An improved version of the Diamant A with a more powerful first stage. Five satellite launches were attempted between 1970 and 1973, of which the last two failed. All launches took place from Kourou in French Guiana.
Its first stage was 14.2 meters long, had a diameter of 1.4 metres and weighed 20.1 metric tons. Its engine developed a thrust of 316 kN to 400 kN (depending on flight altitude) for 116 seconds. The second stage was carried over from Diamant A without modification. The third stage was 1.67 metres long and had a diameter of 80 centimetres. It developed a thrust of 24 kN for 46 seconds. Completely assembled, a Diamant B was 23.5 metres high and weighed 24.6 metric tons.
Diamant BP4
This version incorporated a new second stage, while carrying the first and third stages over from its predecessor. It performed three successful launches in 1975, putting a total of four satellites into orbit. Its second stage, which was derived from the MSBS rocket, was 2.28 metres long and 1.5 metres in diameter and developed a thrust of 180 kN for 55 seconds.
Launch history
Date (UTC) | Variant | Payload | Launch site | Outcome | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
November 26, 1965 14:47 |
Diamant A | Asterix | CIEES/Hammaguir
|
Success | |
February 17, 1966 08:33 |
Diamant A | Diapason | Hammaguir | Success | |
February 8, 1967 09:39 |
Diamant A | Diadème 1 | Hammaguir | Partial failure | Orbit lower than planned |
February 15, 1967 10:06 |
Diamant A | Diadème 2 | Hammaguir | Success | |
March 10, 1970 12:20 |
Diamant B | Mika / Wika | Kourou | Success | |
December 12, 1970 13:04 |
Diamant B | Péole | Kourou | Success | |
April 15, 1971 09:19 |
Diamant B | Tournesol | Kourou | Success | |
December 5, 1971 16:20 |
Diamant B | Polaire | Kourou | Failure | Second stage failure |
May 21, 1973 08:47 |
Diamant B | Castor / Pollux | Kourou | Failure | Fairing separation failure |
February 6, 1975 16:35 |
Diamant BP4 | Starlette | Kourou | Success | |
May 17, 1975 10:32 |
Diamant BP4 | Castor / Pollux | Kourou | Success | |
September 27, 1975 08:37 |
Diamant BP4 | Aura | Kourou | Success |
See also
- Aggregat 8
- Comparison of orbital launchers families
- French space program
References
Citations
- ^ Capdevila, Didier. "Les Constellations et les Pierres Précieuses". Capcom Espace. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
- ^ a b Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, pp. 50-51.
- ^ a b c d e Turner 2008, p. 8.
- ^ Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, p. 51.
- ^ Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, pp. 51-52.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, p. 52.
- ^ Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, pp. 52, 1673.
- ^ Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, pp. 52, 105.
- ^ "DIAL/MIKA - NSSDC ID: 1970-017B". NASA NSSDC.
- ^ "DIAL/WIKA - NSSDC ID: 1970-017A". NASA NSSDC.
- ^ Bleeker, Geiss and Huber 2012, p. 93.
- ^ Wade, Mark. "Europa". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on March 5, 2002.
- ^ "Nov. 26, 1965: France Begins Launch Legacy with Diamant". SpaceNews. June 29, 2004. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
On Nov. 26, 1965, France launched the 45-kilogram Asterix 1 test satellite aboard its Diamant rocket from the Hammaguir launch base in Algeria. ... The Diamant-A followed its first successful launch with three more launches, flying for the final time in February 1967.
Bibliography
- Bleeker, J.A., Johannes Geiss and M. Huber. "The Century of Space Science." Springer Science & Business Media, 2012. ISBN 9-40100-320-3.
- Turner, Martin J.L. "Rocket and Spacecraft Propulsion: Principles, Practice and New Developments." Springer Science & Business Media, 2008. ISBN 3-54069-203-7.
External links
- Capcom eSpace (French language page with history on French/ESA rockets)
- Encyclopedia Astronautica (Diamant)
- Encyclopedia Astronautica (Precious Stones series of French rockets built in the 1950s-1960s)