![British research rockets, World Museum Liverpool](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/British_research_rockets%2C_World_Museum_Liverpool.png)
Skua is the designation of a British
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 used to ...
which was launched between 1959 and 1981 in 4 versions over 300 times. The Skua was developed by
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
Aerojet
Aerojet was an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California, with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange and Gainesville in Virginia, and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet was owned by GenCorp. ...
and
RPE Wescott. It consisted of a starting stage made up of several
Chick rockets that burned for 0.2 seconds. They propelled the rocket 20 metres over the 5-metre-long launch tube. After that, the Bantam main stage ignited.
The fastest jetstream velocity ever measured (656 km/h or 408 mph) was recorded by instruments onboard a Skua rocket above South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland at an altitude of 47,000 m (154,200 ft), on the 13th December 1967.
[https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/77427-strongest-jetstream]
Skua 1
*starting stage: 3 Chick rockets (could be one)
*payload: 5 kg
*ceiling: 70 km
*takeoff thrust: 20 kN
*takeoff weight: 58 kg
*diameter: 0.13 m
*length: 2.24 m
Skua 2
*starting stage: 4 Chick rockets
*upper stage: extended Bantam
*payload: 5 kg
*ceiling: 100 km
*takeoff thrust: 27 kN
*takeoff weight: 68 kg
*diameter: 0.13 m
*length: 2.42 m
Skua 3
*starting stage: 4 Chick rockets
*payload: 5 kg
*maximum height: 120 km
*takeoff thrust: 27 kN
*takeoff weight: 75 kg
*diameter: 0.13 m
*length: 2.80 m
Skua 4
*starting stage: 4 Chick rockets
*upper stage: improved Bantam
*payload: 8 kg
*maximum height: 140 km
*takeoff thrust: 27 kN
*takeoff weight: 83 kg
*diameter: 0.13 m
*length: 2.80 m
References
External links
https://web.archive.org/web/20150824115536/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/skua.htm
1974 in spaceflight
Sounding rockets of the United Kingdom
{{rocket-stub