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Space Launchers

Suborbital Vehicles

Rocket Ranges

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South Uist, Hebrides archipelago (57.3°N / 7.5°W)

The missiles tests range encompasses the whole of the north west coast of the South Uist island, in the Hebrides archipelago. It was used, as of the 1960s, for launching Skua meteorological rockets. A record stratospheric jet stream moving at 656 km/h at 47 km was observed by such a rocket above South Uist on December 13,1967.

From 1967 to 1979, the British BNSRC used this test range for launching Skua 2 and Petrel rockets as part of its upper atmosphere studies program.

Aberporth, Wales (52.1°N, 4.3°W)

The Aberporth test range is located on the West coast of Wales, on the shore of Cardigan bay. British research on missiles - small solid propellant rockets at that time - have begun at Projectile Development Establishment (PDE) at Aberporth during the war. This establishment is currently placed under the authority of the Defence Evaluation & Research Agency (DERA).

Experimental rockets, RTV-1 (Rocket Test Vehicle) , devoted to the development of the first British SAMs, were tested at Aberporth as from 1948. Thereafter, different rockets devoted to aerothermal tests were fired there during the 1960's, notably 2-stage Leopard rockets and a Jaguar G1 rocket.
In the beginnings of the British sounding rockets program, it had been envisaged to use this tests center for launchings Skylark rockets. This project was withdrawn for security reasons, nevertheless two technological launches were carried out there in 1971.