Bélier is the designation of a French

sounding rocket A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are often ...

family. Three versions of the Bélier were launched between 1961 and 1970 at the CIEES launch facility at

Hammaguir Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) () is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for its role in Fre ...

, the

Salto di Quirra Salto di Quirra is a restricted weapons testing range and rocket launch site near Perdasdefogu on the island of Sardinia. It is the largest military range in Italy, composed of 12,000 hectares of land owned by the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Ital ...

and

Ile du Levant Île du Levant (), sometimes referred to as Le Levant, is a French island in the Mediterranean off the coast of the Riviera, near Toulon. It is one of the four that constitute the Îles d'Hyères. Part of the island is occupied by the naturist ...

missile ranges, and

Kourou Space Center The Guiana Space Centre (; CSG), also called Europe's Spaceport, is a spaceport to the northwest of Kourou in French Guiana, an overseas region of France in South America. Kourou is located approximately north of the equator at a latitude o ...

. After its retirement, the Bélier was used as a stage for a family of solid-propellant rockets, including the Centaure, the

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

, the Dauphin and the Éridan.

Versions

Belier I

The first Belier single stage rocket, powered by a

Jericho Jericho ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Jericho Governorate. Jericho is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It had a population of 20,907 in 2017. F ...

motor. * payload: 30 kg * apogee: 80 km * takeoff thrust: 20.00 kN * takeoff weight: 313 kg * diameter: 0.31 m * length: 4.01 m * fin span: 0.78 m

Belier II

Upgraded Belier single stage rocket, using 'Plastolite' propellant. * payload: 30 kg * apogee: 130 km * takeoff thrust: 21.50 kN * takeoff weight: 352 kg * diameter: 0.31 m * length: 5.90 m * fin span: 0.78 m

Belier III

Upgraded Belier single stage rocket, powered by a Vega motor using 'Isolane' propellant. * apogee: 109 km * takeoff weight: 400 kg * diameter: 0.31 m * length: 3.80 m Belier III launches:

References

Rockets and missiles Sud-Aviation Belier rocket family {{rocket-stub

Versions

Belier I

Belier II

Belier III

See also

References