During both world wars the New Battery was put to action and afterwards it was chosen as the test site for a new type of technology.
From 1955 Saunders Roe leased the site and tested the rockets ‘Black Knight’, ‘Black Arrow’ and the satellite ‘Prospero’ here before they were launched in Australia.
Australian launch
The first rocket, known was ‘Black Knight’ was tested in April 1957 at the Highdown site and after further tests, the rockets were taken to Woomera in Australia for launching.
Black Knight was designed to test the effect of re-entry to the earth’s atmosphere on a missile and to develop the design of large liquid fuelled rockets. In all, 22 Black Knight rockets were launched.
From the Black Knight, the Black Arrow, which was designed to put a satellite into orbit, was developed from the late 1960s. In 1971 it was launched from Woomera along with the satellite ‘Prospero’ which was tucked into the nose cone. Sadly, within days of the successful launch, the British Government cancelled the space programme and the final Black Arrow rocket built was given to the Science Museum in London.