Searching for details: The author of this page will greatly appreciate comments, eyewitness accounts, documents and imagery related to the subject. Please contact Anatoly Zak. In the meantime: (Historical context for the events described in this section): 1958 April: the French nuclear programme advances far enough for Félix Gaillard, then President of the Atomic Energy Commission to sign a top-secret order to make all necessary preparations "for the first series of atomic explosions to take place in the first quarter of 1960." 1958 June: Charles de Gaulle returns to power in France, quickly ordering the creation of "Force de Frappe," or strike force, including a nuclear "triad:" a long-range bombers, land-based ballistic missiles and ballistic missile submarines. 1960 February: France conducts its first nuclear test at Reggane (in the Sahara) |
HISTORY: Rocket development program in France (1941-1979) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genesis of the French rocketry and space program A legend has it that at the beginning of the 20th century Russian pioneer Konstantin Tsiolkovsky debated future of space exploration with French aviator Robert Esnault-Pelterie in the presense of the Czar. Although both "participants" of the "debate" later refuted the story, Esnault-Pelterie, who started his career by building the first monoplane aircraft, went on to pioneer rocket development in France. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"Precious Stones" and other research rockets In 1958, Charles de Gaulle, the hero of the anti-Nazi resistance movement during World War II, returned to power in France. His ascent to presidency was backdropped by Soviet victories in the race with the United States to reach the outer space. In the face of the Soviet technological and military prowess, Gaullists argued, France would be too naive in depending on the United States for protection. As a result, de Gaulle committed the nation to full technological independence from the United States, including complex and expensive fields of nuclear technology and rocketry. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 1960, de Gaulle proclaimed French goals to reach space. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, CNES, was formed on March 1, 1962, with the task of planning and executing the French space program. Along with military-run Ministerial Delegation for Armaments, DMA, CNES funded development of a series of rockets named after precious stones and culminating with the Diamant, (Diamond) -- the first French space launcher. On November 26, 1965, the Diamant rocket orbited the first French satellite, the A-1, following a successful launch from Hammaguir test site in Algeria. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Force Nucleaire Strategique: France's nuclear deterrent A second military budget act of the de Gaulle presidency, covering the period 1966-1970, financed the construction of two new nuclear submarines with underwater-launched ballistic missiles, as well as the deployment of strategic ballistic surface-to-surface missiles in silos on the plateau d'Albion, in Provence. Both systems became operational in 1971. In addition to the "triad," General de Gaulle decided in 1963 that France should follow the US example in deploying its own tactical nuclear weapons, including atomic bombs carried by Mirage III and Jaguar aircraft, and Pluton tactical nuclear missiles, which were brought into service after 1970. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HARDWARE GUIDE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Overview of the French rocketry:
|
|