Woomera Launch Area 5

For other uses, see Woomera.

Launch Area 5 (LA5) is an operational site at the RAAF Woomera Test Range which forms the primary operational capability of the Woomera Range Complex.^[1][2] Originally LA5 was a rocket launch site which supported a number of British experimental launches, including the United Kingdom's first, and as of 2023^[update] only, satellite launch. It consisted of three separate launch pads, which supported 22 Black Knight sounding rocket launches,^[3][4] and four Black Arrow carrier rocket launches.^[4] Of the four Black Arrow launches, two were orbital launches, the first of which, on 2 September 1970, failed, and the second, on 28 October 1971, succeeded, placing the Prospero satellite into low Earth orbit.^[5]

Launch Area 5

Launch site	Woomera
Coordinates	30°58′23″S 136°28′32″E
Short name	LA-5
Operator	RAAF
Total launches	26
Launch pad(s)	3
Orbital inclination range	82-90°
LA-5 launch history Status (2013) DSTO Rocket Engine Test Facility Launches 12 First launch 7 June 1961 Last launch 25 November 1965 Associated rockets Black Knight LA-5A launch history Status Decommissioned Launches 9 First launch 7 September 1958 Last launch 7 May 1961 Associated rockets Black Knight LA-5B launch history Status Decommissioned Launches 5 First launch 9 May 1961 Last launch 28 October 1971 Associated rockets Black Knight Black Arrow