Sparta (rocket)
The Sparta (or Redstone Sparta) was a three-stage rocket that launched Australia's first Earth satellite, WRESAT, on 29 November 1967.
| Function | Sounding rocket Launch system |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | ABMA/Chrysler |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Size | |
| Height | 21.8 metres (72 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.78 metres (5 ft 10 in) |
| Mass | 30,000 kilograms (66,000 lb) |
| Stages | 3 |
| Capacity | |
| Payload to LEO | |
| Mass | 45 kilograms (99 lb) |
| Associated rockets | |
| Family | Redstone |
| Comparable | Jupiter-C Juno I |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Retired |
| Launch sites | Woomera Test Range LA-8 |
| Total launches | 10 |
| Success(es) | 9 |
| Failure(s) | 1 |
| First flight | 28 November 1966 |
| Last flight | 29 November 1967 |
| Type of passengers/cargo | Re-entry vehicles, WRESAT |
| First stage – Redstone | |
| Powered by | 1 A-7 |
| Maximum thrust | 416 kilonewtons (94,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 265 sec |
| Burn time | 155 seconds |
| Propellant | LOX/Ethanol |
| Second stage – Antares-2 | |
| Powered by | 1 X-259 |
| Maximum thrust | 93 kilonewtons (21,000 lbf) |
| Specific impulse | 293 sec |
| Burn time | 36 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
| Third stage – BE-3 | |
| Powered by | 1 solid |
| Maximum thrust | 34 |
| Burn time | 9 seconds |
| Propellant | Solid |
Sparta used surplus American Redstone rockets as its first stage, a Thiokol Antares-2 as a second stage, and a WRE BE-3 Alcyone solid-propellant engine as a third stage.
A first stage was recovered from the Simpson Desert in 1990 after being found in searches by explorer Dick Smith the previous year.: 76–80
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