The Dragon is a two-stage French solid propellant sounding rocket used for high altitude research between 1962 and 1973. It belonged thereby to a family of solid-propellant rockets derived from the Bélier, including the Centaure, the Dauphin and the Éridan.
The dragon's first stage was a Stromboli engine (diameter 56 cm) which burned 675 kg of propellant in 16 seconds and so produced a maximum thrust of 88 kN. Versions of the Bélier engine were used as upper stages.
A payload of 30 to 120 kg could be carried on parabolic with apogees between 440 km (270 mi) (Dragon-2B) and 560 km (340 mi)(Dragon-3)
Versions The Dragon was built in several versions including the Dragon-2B, and Dragon-3: VersionStagesGross mass (kg)Height (m)Diameter (m)Apogee (km)Payload (kg)DragonStromboli + Belier I11577.100.56475 60Dragon-2BStromboli + Belier II120070.56440Dragon-3Stromboli + Belier III11908.160.56560 60
Launches Dragons have been launched from Andøya, Biscarrosse, Dumont d'Urville, CELPA (El Chamical), CIEES, Kerguelen Islands, Kourou, Salto di Quirra, Sonmiani, Thumba, and Vík í Mýrdal between 1962 and 1973.
DateLaunch siteLaunch ComplexLaunch VehicleMission DescriptionNationAgencyApogee (km)1962 December 5HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FranceCNES801963 April 26HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FranceCNES581963 October 30HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1Test missionFranceCNES4701964 February 10HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1Test missionFranceCNES4701964 April 11HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-104B Probe / Na Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4001964 April 13HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-104B Probe / Na Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4251964 August 1Vik -Dragon 1FU-125 ionosphere / particles Aeronomy /ionosphere missionFranceCNES4401964 August 7Vik -Dragon 1FU-125 ionosphere / particles Aeronomy /ionosphere missionFranceCNES4201964 December 3HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-103B MPE Ba-11 Aeronomy missionFranceCNES3901965 August 24Vik -Dragon 1FU-146 / VLF Aeronomy /ionosphere missionFranceCNES4401965 September 3Vik -Dragon 1FU-146 / VLF Aeronomy /ionosphere missionFranceCNES4511965 November 20HammaguiraHammaguira BecharDragon 1MPE Ba-16? Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4041966 January 21HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-133 Sodium release Aeronomy missionFranceCNES5001966 May 4HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-130 Lyra alpha Aeronomy / chemical / lyra-alpha spectrometry missionFranceCNES4401966 May 12HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-130 Lyra alpha Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4641966 May 23HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-131 Atomic Hydrogen Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4601966 May 26Andoya -Dragon 1FranceCNES2301966 June 1Andoya -Dragon 1FU-153 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3801966 June 14HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-131 Atomic Hydrogen Aeronomy missionFranceCNES4801966 June 15HammaguiraHammaguira BacchusDragon 1FU-131 Sodium release Aeronomy missionFranceCNES5001966 June 16Andoya -Dragon 1FranceCNES601966 October 17Andoya -Dragon 1FU-165 Ions / Electric Field Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3871967 January 25Dumont d'Urville -Dragon 1FU-145B ionosphere / particles Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3401967 January 28Dumont d'Urville -Dragon 1FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3101967 January 29Dumont d'Urville -Dragon 1FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3201967 January 29Dumont d'Urville -Dragon 1FU-151 ionosphere / particles Ionosphere missionFranceCNES3401967 May 5Sonmiani -Dragon 1Shahpar-1 testPakistanSUPARCO4231967 October 4Andoya -Dragon 1ESRO D34 / 1 Solar x-ray / aeronomy missionEuropeESRO2481967 October 7Andoya -Dragon 1ESRO D30 / 1 Solar x-ray / aeronomy missionEuropeESRO2331967 October 10Andoya -Dragon 1EuropeESRO1.001968 February 14Biscarosse -Dragon 1FU-172 Solar Helium Solar ultraviolet missionFranceCNES4401968 March 29Sonmiani -Dragon 1Shahpar-2 testPakistanSUPARCO4201968 May 22Salto di Quirra -Dragon 1EuropeESRO2251969 March 17KourouKourou ALFSDragon 1FU-172 Solar EUV 1 Solar extreme ultraviolet missionFranceCNES4101969 September 20Thumba -Dragon 1ISRO 26.01 Ionosphere missionIndiaISRO4001970 May 6Mar Chiquita -Dragon 1Electron density Test / plasma / fields missionFranceCNES4301972 December 13CELPA -Dragon 1FU-206 Protons / electrons Ionosphere / geocorona missionFranceCNES3801968 March 15Kerguelen -Dragon 2BFU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4001968 March 27Kerguelen -Dragon 2BFU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4001968 April 1Kerguelen -Dragon 2BFU-171 VLF / Ions Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4161968 November 3Andoya -Dragon 2BFU-182 Ions / Electric field Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4141969 February 6Biscarosse -Dragon 2BFU-180 Mass spectrometer F1 Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4301969 February 6Biscarosse -Dragon 2BFU-180 Mass spectrometer F2 Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4051969 February 6Biscarosse -Dragon 2BFU-180 Mass spectrometer F3 Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4301969 February 7Biscarosse -Dragon 2BFU-180 Mass spectrometer F4 Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES4131969 April 13Andoya -Dragon 2BFU-182 Ions / Electric field Ionosphere mission -FranceCNES3991969 April 17Andoya -Dragon 2BFU-190 E field / Barium release Ionosphere / barium release mission -FranceCNES3291972 April 28Sonmiani -Dragon 2BShahpar-3 Test / ionosphere mission -PakistanSUPARCO4001968 July 23BiscarosseDragon 3FU-188 Technology testFranceCNES5621969 April 26KourouKourou ALFSDragon 3FU-188 Technology testFranceCNES4101969 May 27BiscarosseDragon 3FranceCNES1001969 November 18BiscarosseDragon 3FU-192 Plasma Ionosphere missionFranceCNES4751970 October 6BiscarosseDragon 3EIDI-1 Ionosphere missionFranceCNES4801970 October 22BiscarosseDragon 3EIDI-2 Ionosphere missionFranceCNES4801973 February 17BiscarosseDragon 3FU-211 EIDI-3 Ionosphere missionFranceCNES460
See also
Belier Centaure
Dauphin Éridan
References