Fulmar (rocket)

The Fulmar was a two-stage British sounding rocket.^[1][2][3] It was related to the Spanish INTA-300.^[2]

Fulmar sounding rocket
Country of origin	Great Britain
Size
Height	7.47 m (24.5 ft)
Diameter	0.26 m (0.85 ft)
Stages	2
Capacity
Payload to Suborbital
Altitude	250 km (160 mi)
Launch history
Status	Retired
Launch sites	Andoya
Total launches	6
First flight	November 21, 1976
Last flight	March 19, 1979
First stage – Heron
Maximum thrust	107 kN (24,000 lbf)
Second stage – Snipe
Maximum thrust	16.7 kN (3,800 lbf)

The Fulmar, developed by Bristol Aerojet, consisted of a Heron starting stage with 107 kN thrust and a Snipe upper stage with 16.7 kN thrust.^[2] The Fulmar had a diameter of 26 centimetres and a length of 7.47 metres.^[2] It weighed 500 kilograms at launch and could reach a height of 250 kilometres.^[2]

Launches

The Fulmar was fired six times between 1976 and 1979 at Andøya in Norway; the last launch, on 19 March 1979, failed.^[1][2]

Date	Site	Vehicle	Apogee (km)	Mission	Result
1976 November 21	Andøya	F2	137	auroral mission	Success
1976 December 11	Andøya	F5	214	aurora / aeronomy / ionosphere mission	Success
1977 October 16	Andøya	F3	247	"Wind / T" atmospheric mission	Success
1977 November 17	Andøya	F1	261	"Electrons / Ions" ionosphere mission	Success
1977 December 5	Andøya	F4	255	"HLC 2B" auroral mission	Success
1979 March 19	Andøya	F6	15	aeronomy mission	Failure