Bérénice (rocket)

For other uses, see Berenice (disambiguation).
Bérénice French sounding rocket
Bérénice (third rocket) as part of the Onera sounding rocket family.

Bérénice was the designation of a four-stage French atmospheric reentry test rocket, developed by O.N.E.R.A. (Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales).[1][2][3][4][5]

Description

Bérénice was 13.25 m (43.5 ft) long, possessed a diameter of 0.56 m (1.8 ft) and weighed 3,340 kg (7,360 lb) at launch. The takeoff thrust of Bérénice, which could carry a payload of 3,340 kg (7,360 lb) to a height of 1,000 km (620 mi), amounted to 170 kN (38,000 lbf). The first stage, a SEPR-739 Stromboli, was stabilised by four SEPR-P167 rockets developing 34 kN (7,600 lbf).[1][4][5] The second stage consisted of a SEPR-740 Stromboli, almost identical to the first stage.[1][4][5] The third stage was a SEPR-P200 Tramontane and the fourth stage comprised a Mélanie rocket and payload.[2][3][4][5]

Launches

The twelve production rockets, Bérénice 001 to Bérénice 012, were launched by ONERA from Ile du Levant from 1962 to 1966.[1][3]

Date Mission Description Apogee (km)
1962 June 27 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1962 Q3 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1962 July 6 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1962 November 1 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1963 June 27 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1963 July 3 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1964 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1964 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1964 October 1 Re-entry Vehicle test 250
1964 October 1 Re-entry Vehicle test 250
1965 Re-entry Vehicle test 270
1966 Titus test / solar mission 270
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See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "ONERA rockets". 2012-11-14. Archived from the original on 2012-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  2. ^ a b "Berenice" (PDF). S.E.P.R. Union Revue d'Information du Personnel (in French) (7): 34. February 1963. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-26. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "Berenice". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  4. ^ a b c d "SEPR-739 with upper stages". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 2023-11-13.
  5. ^ a b c d "La fusée Bérénice". eurospace.free.fr. Retrieved 2023-11-14.