Black Arrow Rocket | When Britain joined the Space Race

Back When | History Podcast

Britain’s space race efforts were bold but short-lived.

Join historian Helen Antrobus for the tale of Britain’s space race.
It’s the mid 1950’s and the height of the Cold War era.
British engineers are working in secret at The Needles on the Isle of Wight, testing a nuclear deterrent, the Black Knight Rocket.
But by the end of the 1960s the British rocket programme is under threat. Engineers have one last chance to get into space with the ambitious Black Arrow Rocket.
Can Britain reach the stars or will it fail to launch?
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Production
Presenter: Helen Antrobus
Producer and sound designer: Nikki Ruck
Contributors
Paul Carey
Steve Berden
Doug Millard
Cast
Jesse Edbrooke – voice of Ray Wheeler
In memory of Ray Wheeler 1927-2019
With thanks to NASA
Discover more
Discover more about the secrets behind Highdown test site visit The New Battery at The Needles
Find out more about the history of Black Knight, Black Arrow and Prospero rockets
Wight Aviation Museum
See the Black Arrow Rocket itself https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visit
Discover more podcasts
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/virtual-visit/podcasts#stories-about-nature-and-history
If you'd like to get in touch with feedback, or have a story connected with the National Trust, you can contact us at [email protected]