From Belier to Eridan





In the late Fifties, the need for sounding rockets easier to use than Veronique was felt. The National Defense Scientific Actions Committee placed, in 1958, an order with Sud Aviation for a batch of solid-propellant sounding rockets whose storage and use were simplified. The Sud Aviation company resulted from the merger in 1957, of Sud-Est Aviation (SNCASE) and Ouest Aviation (SNCASO) companies.

Dragon

Belier, Centaure and Dragon

The first models of this series had a 305 mm fairing diameter. There was a single-stage vehicle, Belier (Ram), capable of sending 30 kg to 85 km of altitude, and two two-stage vehicles using the Belier like upper stage. Centaure (Centaur) used a small booster, 280 mm in diameter, and climbed to 130 km with a 60 kg payload. Dragon used a 560 mm diameter booster and culminated to 475 km with the same payload. These rockets were spin stabilized thanks to small thrusters placed in end of empennage. Belier and Centaure accomplished their first flight in 1961, Dragon in 1962.

In its first version, Belier was propelled by a Jericho block, loaded with 208 kg of Epictete propellant (ISp=190 sec). Centaure and Dragon boosters used Plastolite propellant (ISp=205 sec). The first was a 94 kg Venus block, the second a 686 kg Stromboli block. When Sud Aviation sold the manufacture licence of these rockets to foreign countries (India and Pakistan), it created at this juncture a Belier II loaded with Pastolite. Few years later, appeared for the national needs a Belier III propelled by a Vega block loaded with Isolane propellant (ISp=240 sec), which increased further the performances. For each Belier version, there was a corresponding Centaure and Dragon version.

CNES launched, under its responsibility:

- 19 Belier (16 Belier I, including 2 before 1962, and 3 Belier III) until 1970,

- 103 Centaure (Centaure I, 7 before 1962) until 1974,

- 46 Dragon (29 Dragon I, 10 Dragon IIB and 7 Dragon III) until 1973.

Other European organizations, in particular ESRO, also used this type of rockets from Salto of Quirra and Kiruna.

Note : Sud Aviation also studied a three-stage vehicle, named Pegase and composed of two Stromboli and a Jericho. Weighing 2047 kg, it would have been capable of carrying 32 kg to 1000 km of altitude, but was not realized.



Eridan

Dauphin and Eridan

A second series of solid-rockets was born in second half of the Sixties. Intended to carry larger diameter payloads, they used 560 mm diameter Stromboli motors only.

Thus, Dauphin (Dolphin) was a single-stage rocket whose fairing had to be equipped with a thermal protection against the aerodynamic heating because speed reached. Eridan was a two-stage rocket (2 Stromboli) able to send a 250 kg payload to more than 300 km of altitude.

The career of these rockets was shorter than that their predecessors. Only 6 Dauphin were launched between 1967 and 1979, and 17 Eridan between 1968 and 1979.



Tables

a/ Sud-Aviation rockets evolution

b/ Launches under CNES responsibility

b.1/ Belier, Centaure and Dragon

b.2/ Dauphin and Eridan

c/ Launches with CNES collaboration under foreign responsibility

Listings with Christophe Rothmund's help, SEP, France

d/ Launches on behalf of ESRO

e/ Launches on behalf of European countries

Links

Institut Français de l'Histoire de l'Espace - Fusées-sondes françaises