The Jaguar (also called
Jabiru
The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has also been reported in Mississippi, Oklahoma ...
) was a
three-stage British
sounding rocket
A sounding rocket or rocketsonde, sometimes called a research rocket or a suborbital rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The rockets are often ...
built in several versions.
The first stage of the Jabiru Mk.1 was 5.6 m long and had a takeoff weight of 1,170 kilograms, of which about 866 kilograms were fuel, being powered by a ''
Rook II'' engine.
The second stage weighed 292 kilograms, of which 184 kilograms were allotted to fuel, and was powered by a ''Gosling II'' engine.
The third stage contained 26 kilograms of fuel and was powered by a ''Lobster I'' engine.
In all stages solid fuel was used. The complete rocket was 12 meters long. The Jabiru Mk.1 was launched several times between 1960 and 1964 at the aerospace testing area at
Woomera, South Australia
Woomera, unofficially Woomera village, is the domestic area of RAAF Base Woomera. Woomera village has always been a Defence-owned and operated facility. The village is located on the traditional lands of the Kokatha people in the Far North r ...
.
The follow-up version, the Jabiru Mk.2, contained an improved starting stage (Rook IIIA) and a second stage (Goldfinch II) with 307 kilograms of fuel as well as a third stage (Gosling IV) with 190 kilograms fuel.
The Jabiru Mk.2 was launched ten times at Woomera between 1964 and 1970.
This rocket was replaced by the Jabiru Mk.3 which used a modified first stage of the Jabiru Mk.2 as second stage (Rook IIIB), while the first stage remained unchanged (Rook IIIA), with no third stage being used.
The Jabiru Mk.3 was used for re-entry experiments between 1971 and 1974.
Versions
The Jaguar / Jabiru had several configurations:
References
{{rocket-stub
Experimental rockets
Sounding rockets of the United Kingdom
History of science and technology in the United Kingdom