Alfa (rocket) on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Alfa was the designation of an Italian
The Alfa was long and had a diameter of . The first stage of the Alfa was long and contained 6 t of HTPB-based composite solid propellant (73% AP, 15% binder and 12%
ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are powered only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) typic ...
program that started in 1971 under the control of the GRS (Gruppo di Realizzazione Speciale Interforze). It was related to the Polaris A-3 missile.
Development
Born from the development effort for efficient solid-propellant rocket engines, the Alfa was planned as a two-stage missile. Test launches with an upper stage mockup took place between 1973 and 1975, fromSalto di Quirra
Salto di Quirra is a restricted weapons testing range and rocket launch site near Perdasdefogu on the island of Sardinia. It is the largest military range in Italy, composed of 12,000 hectares of land owned by the Ministry of Defence (Italy), Ital ...
.
The Alfa was long and had a diameter of . The first stage of the Alfa was long and contained 6 t of HTPB-based composite solid propellant (73% AP, 15% binder and 12% aluminium
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
). It supplied a thrust of 232 kN for a duration of 57 seconds. It could carry a one tonne warhead for a range of 1,600 kilometres (990 mi), placing European Russia
European Russia is the western and most populated part of the Russia, Russian Federation. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the country's sparsely populated and vastly larger eastern part, Siberia, which is situated in Asia ...
and Moscow in range of the Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...
.
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
has been active in the space sector since 1957, conducting launch and control operations from the Luigi Broglio Space Centre
The Luigi Broglio Malindi Space Center (LBMSC) located near Malindi, Kenya, is an Italian Space Agency (ASI) Spaceport. It was named after its founder and Italian space pioneer Luigi Broglio. Developed in the 1960s through a partnership between ...
. The advanced Scout and Vega launcher
Vega (, , ) was a European expendable small-lift launch vehicle developed by Avio and operated by Arianespace for the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Designed to carry payloads between into low Earth and polar ...
s currently used by the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) is a 23-member International organization, international organization devoted to space exploration. With its headquarters in Paris and a staff of around 2,547 people globally as of 2023, ESA was founded in 1975 ...
(ESA) derive their technological basis partially from Alfa studies.
See also
*Italian nuclear weapons program
The Italian nuclear weapons program was an effort by Italy to develop nuclear weapons in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Italian scientists such as Enrico Fermi and Edoardo Amaldi had been at the forefront of the development of the technology ...
References
Medium-range ballistic missiles Guided missiles of Italy Naval weapons of Italy {{Nuclear-weapon-stub