Vesta (rocket)
Vesta is the name of a French sounding rocket that was launched five times between 1965 and 1969 by the Center interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux (CIEES) near Hammaguir and the Center Spatial Guyanais .
The Vesta is an enlarged further development of the Véronique rocket .
The Vesta's payload was 500 kg, the peak height 400 km, the launch thrust 140 kN, the launch mass 5700 kg, the diameter 1.00 m and the length 10.20 m. The propulsion took place with turpentine as fuel and nitric acid as oxidizer . The fuels were pumped into the engine by means of compressed gas.
Macaque monkeys were on board on two flights and were recovered alive.
Start list
| Date, time UTC | serial number | Launch site | Summit height (km) | annotation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 15, 1965 | 001 | CIEES , Blandine | 150 | |
| Oct 25, 1965 | 002 | CIEES , Blandine | 105 | |
| March 7, 1967, 9:42 am | 004 | CIEES , Blandine | 243 | With monkey Martine |
| March 13, 1967, 9:30 am | 005 | CIEES , Blandine | 234 | With monkey Pierette |
| Nov 8, 1969 | 006 | Center Spatial Guyanais , ALFS | 204 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jean-Jacques Serra: Biological experiments. June 30, 2001, accessed September 27, 2011 .
Web links
- Vesta in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
- Jean-Jacques Serra: Veronique and Vesta (English)