| Dauphin | |
| Country Of Origin: | France[1] |
| Successor: | MR-30 |
| Type: | sounding rocket |
The Dauphin is a French sounding rocket, flown six times between 1967 and 1979.[2] [3] It consists of a modification of the first stage of the Dragon with a larger payload nosecone.
The Dauphin has a diameter of 56 centimetres, a launch weight of 1.132 metric tons, a length of 6.21 metres, a takeoff thrust of 90 kN and a ceiling of 150 kilometres.
It belonged to the Stromboli family of solid-propellant rockets including the Belier, the Centaure, and the Dragon, along with the Eridan.[4]
The first launch occurred on March 20, 1967 from Hammaguira and was a failure. The three next flights, from Ile du Levant and Biscarosse were successful.
On September 14, 1971, a Dauphin rocket was first launched from Kourou, conducting the PHARE (FU-196) Aeronomy mission.[5] A final launch happened on February 8, 1979 to test the Ariane launch range.
| Date | Launch Site | Launch Complex | Mission Description | Apogee (km) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 March 20 | Hammaguira | - | Failure. | 0 | |
| 1967 June 28 | Ile du Levant | CERES | N/A | 138 | |
| 1968 March 8 | Biscarosse | - | N/A | 123 | |
| 1968 March 28 | Biscarosse | - | N/A | 98 | |
| 1971 September 14 | Kourou | Kourou ALFS | PHARE (FU-196) Aeronomy mission | 103 | |
| 1979 February 8 | Kourou | Kourou ALFS | Ariane range test | 135 |