Tacite (rocket)
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The inaugural member of ONERA sounding rockets fleet, the Tacite (Tentative d'Analyse du Contraste Infrarouge Terre-Espace, for Attempt to Analyze the Earth-Space Infrared Contrast), was a single-stage vehicle, used between 1965 and 1968.[1][2][3][4]
Designed and developed by the Office national d'études et de recherches aérospatiales (ONERA), it was a single-stage vehicle equipped with a SEPR 739-2 Stromboli engine fueled by ‘Plastoline’ propellant, offering a propulsion duration of 20 seconds.[1][3][4] The rocket incorporates small nitrogen ejection nozzles to induce rotation and employs aerodynamic stabilization by a cruciform tailfin.[1][3][5]
With a total mass of 1738 kg (excluding the useful tip), Tacite reached a height of nearly 8 meters. It had the capability to propel a 285 kg payload to an altitude of 160 km.[1][3]
