Skua (rocket)

Skua sounding rocket

Skua is the designation of a British sounding rocket which was launched between 1959 and 1981 in four versions over 300 times.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} The Skua was developed by Bristol Aerojet and RPE Wescott.^[1]

It consisted of a starting stage made up of several Chick rockets (like the Petrel) that burned for 0.2 seconds.^[1] They propelled the rocket 20 metres over the 5-metre-long launch tube.^[1][8] After that, the Bantam main stage ignited. The solid rocket motor of the main stage had an end-burning propellant grain and burned for 30 seconds.^[9] The starting stage descended on parachutes and was re-filled and re-used.^[10]

The fastest jet stream velocity ever measured (656 km/h or 408 mph) was recorded by instruments on board a Skua rocket above South Uist, Outer Hebrides, Scotland at an altitude of 47,000 m (154,200 ft), on 13 December 1967.^[11]

Versions

There were four versions of the Skua rocket:^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Skua rocket versions

Version	First Stage	Second Stage	Payload (kg)	Apogee (km)	Thrust at start (kN)	Weight (kg)	Diameter (m)	Length (m)
Skua 1	3 x Chick	Bantam	5	70	20	58	0.13	2.21
Skua 2	4 x Chick	extended Bantam	5	100	27	68	0.13	2.42
Skua 3	4 x Chick	extended Bantam	5	120	27	75	0.13	2.80
Skua 4	4 x Chick	improved Bantam	7.5	140	27	83	0.13	2.80

See also

• Sounding rocket
• Petrel (rocket)
• Arcas (rocket)

References

1. "Skua". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
2. "Skua 1". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
3. "Skua 2". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
4. "Skua 3". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
5. "Skua 4". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
6. "Skua Sounding Rocket | Science Museum Group Collection". collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
7. "South Uist (Outer Hebrides), early 1970s". UCL DEPARTMENT OF SPACE & CLIMATE PHYSICS - MULLARD SPACE SCIENCE LABORATORY. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
8. "Skua Rocket". National Meteorological Library & Archive. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
9. Serra, Jean-Jacques (2005-02-07). "Skua and Petrel rockets". European Rockets. Archived from the original on 2005-02-07. Retrieved 2023-09-06.
10. Bollerman, B. (1970). "Skua". A Study of 30 Km to 200 Km Meteorological Rocket Sounding Systems. Vol. 1. Part 2 - Literature and Data Review. NASA. pp. 281–282, 283–284. NASA-CR-1529-PT-2.
11. "Strongest jetstream". 13 December 1967.