Falstaff (rocket)
Rocket
title: "Falstaff (rocket)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["experimental-rockets", "space-programme-of-the-united-kingdom", "sounding-rockets-of-the-united-kingdom"] description: "Rocket" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falstaff_(rocket)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Rocket ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox rocket"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| image | File:Falstaff rocket shape-01.png |
| image_size | |
| caption | |
| name | Falstaff |
| function | Research rocket |
| manufacturer | |
| country-origin | United Kingdom |
| cpl | |
| cpl-year | |
| alt-cpl | |
| height | 5.3 m |
| diameter | 92 cm |
| width | |
| mass | 5090 kg |
| stages | 1 |
| capacities | |
| location | |
| kilos | |
| family | |
| derivatives | |
| comparable | |
| status | Retired |
| sites | Woomera Test Range |
| launches | 8 |
| success | 7 |
| fail | 1 |
| partial | |
| other_outcome | |
| first | 1 October 1969 |
| last | 4 April 1979 |
| only | |
| payloads | Penetration Aids Carrier (PAC) |
| stagedata | |
| type | |
| diff | |
| stageno | |
| name | |
| number | |
| length | |
| diameter | |
| width | |
| empty | |
| gross | |
| engines | |
| thrust | 240 kN |
| total | |
| SI | |
| burntime | 37 seconds |
| fuel | |
| :: |
|image = File:Falstaff rocket shape-01.png
|image_size =
|caption =
|name = Falstaff
|function = Research rocket
|manufacturer =
|country-origin = United Kingdom
|cpl =
|cpl-year =
|alt-cpl =
|height = 5.3 m
|diameter = 92 cm
|width =
|mass = 5090 kg
|stages = 1
|capacities =
|location =
|kilos =
|family =
|derivatives =
|comparable =
|status = Retired
|sites = Woomera Test Range
|launches = 8
|success = 7
|fail = 1
|partial =
|other_outcome =
|first = 1 October 1969
|last = 4 April 1979
|only =
|payloads = Penetration Aids Carrier (PAC)
|stagedata =
|type =
|diff =
|stageno =
|name =
|number =
|length =
|diameter =
|width =
|empty =
|gross =
|engines =
|thrust = 240 kN
|total =
|SI =
|burntime = 37 seconds
|fuel =
Falstaff was a British sounding rocket used during the 1970s as part of the Chevaline programme to improve the penetrability of the Polaris nuclear missile. It was the largest UK rocket with a solid booster ever launched.
Polaris
The Falstaff was part of the Chevaline programme to improve the Polaris programme. The Penetration Aids Carrier (PAC) was capable of maneuvering a Falstaff rocket and dispensing missiles. According to John Pitfield, the PAC was launched in 1969, 1975, 1976 and 1978.
Since the Australian government at the time was not in favour of nuclear weapons, the testing of the Falstaff vehicles on Australian soil had the potential to cause embarrassment. The details of over 4000 launches from the Woomera Range are still not fully released.
Before the revelation that the Falstaff rockets were part of a nuclear program, anti-nuclear campaigners in Australia had believed that testing ended in 1963.
Design
The Falstaff with the Stonechat Mk 2 booster was 5.3 m long and had a diameter of 92 cm. It weighed 5.09 t of which 4.34 t was solid propellant. It delivered an average thrust of 240 kN during 37 seconds.
Launches
The Falstaff was launched eight times between 1969 and 1979. All the launches were from the Woomera Test Range in Australia, 500 km north-west of Adelaide.
The first launch on 1 October 1969 used the Stonechat Mk 1 booster. The seven next launched used the Mk 2 variant. There was one failure, on 23 April 1978.
::data[format=table]
| Date | Site | Vehicle | Apogee (km) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 October 1969 | Woomera | Mk.I | Success | |
| 9 May 1975 | Woomera | Mk.II F0 | 119 | Success |
| 19 February 1976 | Woomera | Mk.II F0 1 | 117 | Success |
| 23 May 1978 | Woomera | Mk.II F1 | Vehicle failure | |
| 15 September 1978 | Woomera | Mk.II F2 | 97 | Success |
| 5 December 1978 | Woomera | Mk.II F3 | 98 | Payload failure |
| 14 February 1979 | Woomera | Mk.II F4 | 93 | Success |
| 4 April 1979 | Woomera | Mk.II F5 | 103 | Success |
| :: |
Commemoration
The Falstaff rocket was commemorated in an event cover that depicted a rocket recognisable as a Falstaff. 5 December 1978 was commemorated in such a way.
References
References
- (2 April 2002). "Secret nuclear testing at Woomera". ABC.
- O'Connell, Sanjida. (1 April 2002). "Australia used for secret tests of UK ballistic missile".
- Serra, Jean-Jacques. "Falstaff".
- "Falstaff (Stonechat)".
- "Falstaff vehicles". sat-net.com.
- "Falstaff". Encyclopedia Astronautica.
- "F3 6 Dec 1978 Falstaff 3 launch from Woomera (ACFF/227)". Steve Irwin Stamps.
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