Topaze (Véhicule Expérimental 111 Topaze) is the designation of a French

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 ...

. The Topaze was developed by several French companies, notably

Nord Aviation Nord-Aviation () was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France. On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was created as a result of ...

and

Sud Aviation Sud Aviation (, 'Southern Aviation') was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating in the merger of Sud-Est ( SNCASE, or ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est'') and Sud-Ouest ( SNCASO or ''Société nat ...

, and built by SEREB (a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

of Nord and Sud, now known as

Aérospatiale Aérospatiale () was a major French state-owned aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and arms industry, defence corporation. It was founded in 1970 as () through the merger of three established state-owned companies: Sud Aviation, Nord Aviation ...

) and was the first guidable French sounding rocket. PierrePrecieusesf

It was part of the ''Pierres précieuses'' (fr.: gemstones) program, that included five prototypes Agathe, Topaze, Emeraude, Rubis and Saphir, leading up to the

Diamant The Diamant rocket (French for "diamond") was the first exclusively French expendable launch system and at the same time the first satellite launcher not built by either the United States or USSR. As such, it has been referred to as being a key ...

orbital rocket. The name indicates that it is a "Véhicule Expérimental" (Experimental Vehicle) with 1 stage, using solid propulsion (code 1), and guided (code 1). The Topaze was launched 14 times from the CIEES launch site in

Hammaguir Hammaguir (also written Hamaguir and Hammaguira) () is a village in Abadla District, Béchar Province, Algeria, south-west of Béchar. It lies on the N50 national highway between Béchar and Tindouf. The location is notable for its role in Fre ...

(Hammaguira Bacchus pad),

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, by

ONERA The Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales ( English: National office for aerospace studies and research) or ONERA, dubbed ''The French Aerospace Lab'' in English, is the French national aerospace research center. Originally f ...

Versions

There were three versions of the Topaze: File:VE 111 C Topaze.svg, VE111C File:VE 111 L Topaze.svg, VE111L File:VE 111 LG Topaze.svg, VE111LG

Topaze VE111 / Topaze VE111C

Details

* payload mass: 410 kg (900 lb) *total mass: 2900 kg (6400 lb) *length: 7.07 m (23.2 ft) *range: 80 km (49 mi) *liftoff thrust: 120.0 kN *Soleil NA802 "Mammouth" solid rocket engine

Launches

There were launches between 1962 and 1964, reaching an

apogee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. The line of apsides (also called apse line, or major axis of the orbit) is the line connecting the two extreme values. Apsides perta ...

of 80 km (49 mi).

Topaze VE111L

Details

*payload mass: 360 kg (840 lb) *total mass: 3434 kg (7570 lb) *length: 7.90 m (25.9 ft) *range: 110 km (68 mi) *liftoff thrust 147.0 kN *Soleil NA803 solid rocket engine

Launches

:This version was launched eight times between 21 December 1963 and 21 May 1965, with apogees up to 110 km (68 mi).

Topaze VE111LG

Details

* Soleil NA803 solid rocket engine

Launches

This version was launched two times in 1965.

Other uses

The Topaze was also used as the second stage of the

rocket, the launch vehicle for France's first satellite, the Asterix-1, and the Saphir rocket.

References

Pierres précieuses {{Rocket-stub