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Space Launchers

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Alfa

The Italian ALFA project was a technological program intended to develop high power solid-propellant boosters for military and civilian applications. It was begun in 1971 under the responsibility of the Realizzazione Speciale Interforze group, but more particularly by the Italian Navy because it had to result in a ballistic missile installed on ship or submarines. The development of the two-stage rocket, 6.5 m in length and 1.37 m in diameter (as with the Polaris), was never completed. The program began with the development of the first stage motor equipped with four swivelling nozzles. This motor, 3.85 m long and loaded with 6 t of propellant (polybutadiene), delivered a thrust of 232 kN during 57 seconds. The test program consisted of 8 static firings and 3 successful flights in a single-stage version topped by a 950 kg dummy upper stage.

Note: The facilities constructed by BPD in the course of this program had been designed for a motor containing up to 12 t of propellant. After its cancellation, they have found a new use when it was necessary to produce the solid boosters for Ariane 3 and 4.