This article is about the French sounding rocket of the 1970s. For the US spacecraft used to resupply the ISS, see
SpaceX Dragon .
Dragon Country of origin France[ 1] Application high altitude research
Sud-Aviation Belier rocket family.
The Dragon is a two-stage French solid propellant [ 3] sounding rocket used for high altitude research between 1962 and 1973.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] It belonged thereby to a family of solid-propellant rockets derived from the Bélier , including the Centaure , the Dauphin and the Éridan .[ 9]
The dragon's first stage was a Stromboli engine (diameter 56 cm) which burned 675 kg of propellant in 16 seconds and so produced a maximum thrust of 88 kN.[ 9] Versions of the Bélier engine were used as upper stages.[ 9]
A payload of 30 to 120 kg could be carried on parabolic with apogees between 440 km (270 mi) (Dragon-2B)[ 6] and 560 km (340 mi)(Dragon-3)[ 7]
Versions
The Dragon was built in several versions including the Dragon-2B, and Dragon-3:[ 6] [ 7] [ 9]
Version
Stages
Gross mass (kg)
Height (m)
Diameter (m)
Apogee (km)
Payload (kg)
Dragon
Stromboli + Belier I
1157
7.10
0.56
475
60
Dragon-2B
Stromboli + Belier II
1200
7
0.56
440
Dragon-3
Stromboli + Belier III
1190
8.16
0.56
560
60
Launches
Dragons have been launched from Andøya , Biscarrosse , Dumont d'Urville , CELPA (El Chamical) , CIEES , Kerguelen Islands , Kourou , Salto di Quirra , Sonmiani , Thumba , and Vík í Mýrdal between 1962 and 1973.[ 5] [ 4] [ 6] [ 7]
Date
Launch Site
Launch Complex
Launch Vehicle
Mission Description
Nation
Agency
Apogee (km)
1962 December 5
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
Failure
France
CNES
80
1963 April 26
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
Failure
France
CNES
58
1963 October 30
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
Test mission
France
CNES
470
1964 February 10
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
Test mission
France
CNES
470
1964 April 11
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-104B Probe / Na Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
400
1964 April 13
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-104B Probe / Na Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
425
1964 August 1
Vik
-
Dragon 1
FU-125 ionosphere / particles Aeronomy /ionosphere mission
France
CNES
440
1964 August 7
Vik
-
Dragon 1
FU-125 ionosphere / particles Aeronomy /ionosphere mission
France
CNES
420
1964 December 3
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-103B MPE Ba-11 Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
390
1965 August 24
Vik
-
Dragon 1
FU-146 / VLF Aeronomy /ionosphere mission
France
CNES
440
1965 September 3
Vik
-
Dragon 1
FU-146 / VLF Aeronomy /ionosphere mission
France
CNES
451
1965 November 20
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bechar
Dragon 1
MPE Ba-16? Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
404
1966 January 21
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-133 Sodium release Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
500
1966 May 4
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-130 Lyra alpha Aeronomy / chemical / lyra-alpha spectrometry mission
France
CNES
440
1966 May 12
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-130 Lyra alpha Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
464
1966 May 23
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-131 Atomic Hydrogen Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
460
1966 May 26
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
Failure
France
CNES
230
1966 June 1
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
FU-153 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
380
1966 June 14
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-131 Atomic Hydrogen Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
480
1966 June 15
Hammaguira
Hammaguira Bacchus
Dragon 1
FU-131 Sodium release Aeronomy mission
France
CNES
500
1966 June 16
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
Failure
France
CNES
60
1966 October 17
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
FU-165 Ions / Electric Field Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
387
1967 January 25
Dumont d'Urville
-
Dragon 1
FU-145B ionosphere / particles Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
340
1967 January 28
Dumont d'Urville
-
Dragon 1
FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
310
1967 January 29
Dumont d'Urville
-
Dragon 1
FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
320
1967 January 29
Dumont d'Urville
-
Dragon 1
FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
340
1967 May 5
Sonmiani
-
Dragon 1
Shahpar-1 test
Pakistan
SUPARCO
423
1967 October 4
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
ESRO D34 / 1 Solar x-ray / aeronomy mission
Europe
ESRO
248
1967 October 7
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
ESRO D30 / 1 Solar x-ray / aeronomy mission
Europe
ESRO
233
1967 October 10
Andoya
-
Dragon 1
Failure
Europe
ESRO
1.00
1968 February 14
Biscarosse
-
Dragon 1
FU-172 Solar Helium Solar ultraviolet mission
France
CNES
440
1968 March 29
Sonmiani
-
Dragon 1
Shahpar-2 test
Pakistan
SUPARCO
420
1968 May 22
Salto di Quirra
-
Dragon 1
Failure
Europe
ESRO
225
1969 March 17
Kourou
Kourou ALFS
Dragon 1
FU-172 Solar EUV 1 Solar extreme ultraviolet mission
France
CNES
410
1969 September 20
Thumba
-
Dragon 1
ISRO 26.01 Ionosphere mission
India
ISRO
400
1970 May 6
Mar Chiquita
-
Dragon 1
Electron density Test / plasma / fields mission
France
CNES
430
1972 December 13
CELPA
-
Dragon 1
FU-206 Protons / electrons Ionosphere / geocorona mission
France
CNES
380
1968 March 15
Kerguelen
-
Dragon 2B
FU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
400
1968 March 27
Kerguelen
-
Dragon 2B
FU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
400
1968 April 1
Kerguelen
-
Dragon 2B
FU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
416
1968 November 3
Andoya
-
Dragon 2B
FU-182 Ions / Electric field Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
414
1969 February 6
Biscarosse
-
Dragon 2B
FU-180 Mass spectrometer F1 Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
430
1969 February 6
Biscarosse
-
Dragon 2B
FU-180 Mass spectrometer F2 Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
405
1969 February 6
Biscarosse
-
Dragon 2B
FU-180 Mass spectrometer F3 Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
430
1969 February 7
Biscarosse
-
Dragon 2B
FU-180 Mass spectrometer F4 Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
413
1969 April 13
Andoya
-
Dragon 2B
FU-182 Ions / Electric field Ionosphere mission -
France
CNES
399
1969 April 17
Andoya
-
Dragon 2B
FU-190 E field / Barium release Ionosphere / barium release mission -
France
CNES
329
1972 April 28
Sonmiani
-
Dragon 2B
Shahpar-3 Test / ionosphere mission -
Pakistan
SUPARCO
400
1968 July 23
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
FU-188 Technology test
France
CNES
562
1969 April 26
Kourou
Kourou ALFS
Dragon 3
FU-188 Technology test
France
CNES
410
1969 May 27
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
Failure
France
CNES
100
1969 November 18
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
FU-192 Plasma Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
475
1970 October 6
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
EIDI-1 Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
480
1970 October 22
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
EIDI-2 Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
480
1973 February 17
Biscarosse
Dragon 3
FU-211 EIDI-3 Ionosphere mission
France
CNES
460
See also
References
Rockets developed in France
Launchers and Rockets Experimental Rockets Sounding Rockets