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 Diamant A | |
| Function | Smalllaunch vehicle |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | 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 toLEO | |
| Mass | 160 kg (350 lb) |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | |
| Total launches | 12 (A:4,B: 5,BP4: 3) |
| Success(es) | 9 (A: 3,B: 3,BP4: 3) |
| Failure(s) | 2 (B) |
| Partial failure(s) | 1 (A) |
| First flight |
|
| Last flight |
|
| First stage (Diamant A) –Emeraude | |
| Powered by | 1Vexin B |
| Maximum thrust | 301.55 kN (67,790 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 203 s (1.99 km/s) |
| Burn time | 93 seconds |
| Propellant | HNO3 /turpentine |
| First stage (Diamant B/BP4) – Améthyste | |
| Powered by | 1Valois [fr] |
| Maximum thrust | 396.52 kN (89,140 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 221 s (2.17 km/s) |
| Burn time | 110 seconds |
| Propellant | N2O4 /UDMH |
| Second stage (Diamant A/B) –Topaze | |
| Powered by | 1P2.2 |
| Maximum thrust | 120.082 kN (26,996 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 255 s (2.50 km/s) |
| Burn time | 39 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Second stage (Diamant BP4) –P-4/Rita | |
| Maximum thrust | 176 kN (40,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 273 s (2.68 km/s) |
| Burn time | 55 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Third stage (Diamant A) –Rubis | |
| Powered by | 1 P-064 |
| Maximum thrust | 29.4 kN (6,600 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 211 s (2.07 km/s) |
| Burn time | 39 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Third stage (Diamant B/BP4) –P-068 | |
| Maximum thrust | 50 kN (11,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 211 s (2.07 km/s) |
| Burn time | 46 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
TheDiamant rocket (French for "diamond") was the first exclusively Frenchexpendable launch system and at the same time the firstsatellite launcher not built by either the United States orUSSR. As such, it has been referred to as being a key predecessor for all subsequent European launcher projects. The head of the project,Charley Attali, received theLegion of Honour in 1965 for the Diamant.[1][2]
During 1962, development of the Diamant commenced as the inauguralspacecraft project of France's space agency, theCentre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES). As a project, it was derived from the military programpierres précieuses (fr.:gemstones) that included the five prototypesAgate,Topaze,Emeraude,Rubis andSaphir (Agate,Topaz,Emerald,Ruby andSapphire),[3] and drew heavily upon the knowledge and technologies that had been previously developed. On 26 November 1965, the Diamant A performed itsmaiden flight. Out of a total of 12 launch attempts to be performed between 1965 and 1975, 9 of these were successful. Most notably, on 26 November 1965, the Diamant was used to successfully launch the first French satellite, namedAstérix.
Three successive versions of the Diamantrocket were developed, designatedA,B andBP4. All versions had three stages and a payload of approximately 150 kg for a 200 km orbit. Despite the success of the Diamant as a launcher, France ultimately chose to terminate further work on its national launcher program in favour of participation in the multi-European programme to produce what would become theAriane launcher in 1975.
During the late 1940s and 1950s, substantial interest arose amongst the international powers of the era in the development ofrocketry andmissile technology, in particular the prospects forballistic missiles capable of travelling great distances. Both of the emergentsuperpowers of the time, the United States and theUnion of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) chose to invest heavily within this new field, observing its political and military importance; it was not long before a highly competitive atmosphere emerged where neither entity wished to fall behind the other in missile technology, which directly led to the so-called 'space race'.[4] In addition, other nations also sought to make headway with this technology, often seeking to exploit and build upon knowledge which had been acquired fromNazi Germany'sV2 programme. In western Europe, both the United Kingdom and France began making significant early steps in this field.[4][5]
While Britain forged ahead with programmes such as theBlack Knight ballistic missile demonstrator and the military-orientatedBlue Steel missile programme, France also made progress on its own efforts.[6] During 1949, the French government established theLaboratoire de Recherches Balistiques et Aérodynamiques atVernon, outsideParis, 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-basedVeronique liquid-fuelled rocket in cooperation with a number of German scientists, which first flew during 1954.[7] During 1957, having been suitably encouraged by the progress made, theComité d'Action Scientifique de Défense Nationale (CASDN) decided to finance further refinements of the Veronique rocket.[8]
During 1958, French wartime military leaderCharles de Gaulle becamePresident of France, establishing theFifth Republic.[8] 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 theForce de frappe; further impetus in favour of missile development was generated by theSputnik 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 withSputnik 1, the first man-madesatellite to be successfully orbited.[8] 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 asintermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs),submarine-launched ballistic missile, andreconnaissance satellites.[8]
During 1959, the French government established theComité de Recherches Spatiales (CRS), which would later be renamed as theCentre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES).[8] The newly formed CRS, initially chaired by the French physicistPierre 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 indigenousexpendable launch system with which payloads, such as satellites, could be launched intoorbit.[8] The indigenous launcher, which was promptly namedDiamant, 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.[8]
On 26 November 1965, the first Diamant rocket was fired from its launch site, theCIEES testing range, atHammaguir,Béchar Province,Algeria.[9] Thismaiden flight was deemed to be a success, achieving sufficient altitude and launching French's first satellite, a 42 kg test vehicle known asAstérix, into orbit; this feat has been viewed as cementing France as the third space power in the world, as well as affirming its independence and strategic capabilities. During 1966 and 1967, Diamant was used to launch three French-built scientific satellites.[8] On 9 April 1968, theGuiana Space Centre, France's new national launching complex atKourou,French Guiana, was officially declared to be operational; Diamant launches were subsequently shifted to this facility, along with various other missiles in use by France and, later on, other European nations as well.[10]
On 10 March 1970, the firstDiamant B rocket, an improved model of the launcher, was fired, carrying a pair of scientific satellites, namedDIAL/MIKA andDIAL/WIKA, into orbit.[8] Only one of the two satellites, which had been produced as a collaborative effort between France and Germany to study theVan Allen radiation belt around the Earth, survived the launch process.[11][12] 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.[13]
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.[5] 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 theEuropean Launcher Development Organisation (ELDO) andEuropean 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.[5]
As a consequence of Britain's withdrawal from participation in the ELDO, it was decided to replace the British-builtBlue Streak, which comprised the first stage of the organisation's multinational launcher, known asEuropa, with the French-built Diamant taking its place.[14] 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 indigenousBlack Arrow launcher instead.
During 1974, theEuropean 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.[5] Specifically, in 1976, work commenced on the new collaborativeAriane 1 launcher, the first version of what would become the highly successfulAriane 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.[5]
This was the first version of the Diamant rockets, operational between 1965 and 1967.[15][16] Remarkably for a newly developed system, all of the first four launches attempted launched were partly successful, the only failure occurring on the second launch when the payload was inserted into a lower orbit than planned.
Completely assembled, a Diamant A was 18.95 metres high and weighed 18.4 metric tons.[16]
It possessed a first stage of 9.92m length, 1.34 metres in diameter, and a weight of 14.7metric tons.[17] The first stage had aVexin Bnitric acid/turpentine engine supplying a thrust of 274 kN for 93 seconds.[17][verification needed]
TheTopaze second stage was 4.70 metres long and had a diameter of 80 centimetres. It weighed 2.93 metric tons and had a foursolid propellant engine that developed a thrust of 150 kN for a duration of 44 seconds.[17]
The third stage is 1.85 m long and weighed 708 kilograms. ItsP064 solid-propellant engine burned for 45 seconds and developed a thrust of 52 kN.[17]
Diamant B was an improved version of the Diamant A with a more powerful first stage, being able to place a 190 kg payload at a 200 km orbit inclined at 5°, a 25 kg payload at a 1000 km orbit, or a 130 kg payload in low polar orbit.[18]
Five satellite launches were attempted between 1970 and 1973, of which the last two failed. All launches took place fromKourou in French Guiana.
Completely assembled, a Diamant B was 23.5 metres high and weighed 26.9 metric tons.[16]
ItsAméthyste first stage was 14.2 meters long, had a diameter of 1.4 metres and weighed 20 metric tons. ItsLRBA Valois N2O4/UDMH engine developed a thrust of 315 kN for 116 seconds.[18]
TheTopazeP-2.2 second stage had one P4 solid propellant engine that developed a thrust of 150 kN for a duration of 44 seconds.[18]
TheP06 third stage was 1.66 metres long and had a diameter of 80 centimetres. ItsP0.68 solid propellant engine developed a thrust of 50 kN for 46 seconds.[18]
This version incorporates a new second stage, while carrying the first and third stages over from its predecessor.[18] It performed three successful launches in 1975, putting a total of four satellites into orbit.
Completely assembled, a Diamant BP4 measured 22.68 metres high and weighed 20.3 metric tons.[16]
ItsRitaP-4 second stage, which was derived from theMSBS rocket, was 2.28 metres long, 1.51 metres in diameter and itsP4 solid propellant engine developed a thrust of 176 kN for 55 seconds.[18]
| Date (UTC) | Variant | Payload | Launch site | Outcome | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 November 1965, 14:47 | Diamant A | Astérix | Hammaguir | Success | |
| 17 February 1966, 08:33 | Diamant A | Diapason (satellite) [fr] | Hammaguir | Success | |
| 8 February 1967, 09:39 | Diamant A | Diadème (satellites) (Diadème I) | Hammaguir | Partial failure | Orbit lower than planned |
| 15 February 1967, 10:06 | Diamant A | Diadème (satellites) (Diadème II) | Hammaguir | Success | |
| 10 March 1970, 12:20 | Diamant B | DIAL [fr] (MIKA / WIKA) | Guiana | Success | |
| 12 December 1970, 13:04 | Diamant B | PEOLE [fr] | Guiana | Success | |
| 15 April 1971, 09:19 | Diamant B | Tournesol (satellite) [fr] | Guiana | Success | |
| 5 December 1971, 16:20 | Diamant B | Polaire (satellite) [fr] | Guiana | Failure | Second stage failure |
| 21 May 1973, 08:47 | Diamant B | Castor et Pollux (satellites) [fr] | Guiana | Failure | Fairing separation failure |
| 6 February 1975, 16:35 | Diamant BP4 | Starlette et Stella [fr] (Starlette) | Guiana | Success | |
| 17 May 1975, 10:32 | Diamant BP4 | Castor / Pollux | Guiana | Success | |
| 27 September 1975, 08:37 | Diamant BP4 | Aura (satellite français) [fr] | Guiana | Success |
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.
