Woomera Launch Area 5

Launch Area 5 (LA5) is an operational site at the RAAF Woomera Test Range which forms the primary operational capability of the Woomera Range Complex.[1][2] Originally LA5 was a rocket launch site which supported a number of British experimental launches, including the United Kingdom's first, and as of 2023 only, satellite launch. It consisted of three separate launch pads, which supported 22 Black Knight sounding rocket launches,[3][4] and four Black Arrow carrier rocket launches.[4] Of the four Black Arrow launches, two were orbital launches, the first of which, on 2 September 1970, failed, and the second, on 28 October 1971, succeeded, placing the Prospero satellite into low Earth orbit.[5]

For other uses, see Woomera.

Launch Area 5
Launch siteWoomera
Coordinates30°58′19.7″S 136°28′31.6″E
Short nameLA-5
OperatorRAAF
Total launches26
Launch pad(s)3
Orbital inclination
range		82-90°
LA-5 launch history
Status(2013) DSTO Rocket Engine Test Facility
Launches12
First launch7 June 1961
Last launch25 November 1965
Associated
rockets		Black Knight
LA-5A launch history
StatusDecommissioned
Launches9
First launch7 September 1958
Last launch7 May 1961
Associated
rockets		Black Knight
LA-5B launch history
StatusDecommissioned
Launches5
First launch9 May 1961
Last launch28 October 1971
Associated
rockets		Black Knight
Black Arrow

References
  1. See: HQWTR - Woomera Range Complex Fact Sheet (Nov 2013)
  2. "Woomera". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  3. "Woomera LA5A". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. "Woomera LA5B". www.astronautix.com. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  5. See: Peter Morton, 'Fire Across the Desert', AGPS 1989


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