Black Arrow. And why Britain doesn’t have a space program

Britain technically has a ’space program’. But it’s one that can’t launch anything, barely employs anyone and has a miniscule annual budget. This has not always been the case. This video is a technical deep dive into an unusual launch system that had a tragically short life: Black Arrow. 50 years later, we look back and imagine what could have been, had the UK government not cancelled the program. And we take a look at where UK spaceflight is today and how a revival of Black Arrow’s legacy may be around the corner. And yes, I know Black Arrow is ’officially’ capitalized. But I don’t want the title to appear like clickbait. 3D modelling by Artem Tatarchenko Instagram: (the lower quality renders without the watermark were done by me) NASA video clips from NASA Image and Video Library Black Arrow launch footage: IWM Sources: 00:00 Intro 00:50 system overview 12:37 the peroxide engine cycle 20:10 engine design 29:20 aerodynamic stability 34:47 launch history 36:44 politics 44:11 the next 50 years 56:21 present day 01:00:29 outro