Véronique (rocket)
1950s French sounding rocket / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Véronique was a French liquid-fuelled sounding rocket of the 1950s. It was the first liquid-fuel research rocket in Western Europe.[1]
Country of origin | France |
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Size | |
Height | 6 to 11.7m (Véronique 61M) |
Diameter | 0.55 m |
Mass | 1 to 2 tons |
Stages | 1 |
Capacity | |
Launch history | |
Status | Succeeded by the Diamant rocket |
Launch sites | CIEES, Guiana Space Centre |
First stage | |
Thrust | 20 to 60 kN (Véronique 61M) |
Propellant | Nitric acid / kerosene or turpentine |
Véronique was a French-led project that had its roots in the German V-2 rocket, and was partially developed by German scientists who had worked in Peenemünde. A successor to the cancelled Super V-2, Véronique was built between 1950 and 1969 in several versions, of which the P2, P6 and R were only experimental models. They were made in Vernon, Eure. The name Véronique is a portmanteau of Vernon-électronique, and is also a common French first name.[2]
On 20 February 1959, the first Véronique launch was performed, although it was recorded as a failure. One day later, the second launch took place, which attained an altitude of 84 miles (135 km). The last Veronique-61 was launched on 31 May 1974. The programme was eclipsed by new rockets, such as the wholly indigenous Diamant launcher.