Today in the history of astronomy, the uniquely British Prospero takes off.

| Published: October 28, 2026

A model of the Prospero satellite is on display at the London Science Museum. Credit: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Prospero satellite, which launched on Oct. 28, 1971, holds the distinction of being the first and only British satellite to be launched by a British rocket. (The first British satellite launched by any rocket had been Ariel 1, carried to space on a U.S. rocket in 1962.) British engineers developed the Black Arrow carrier rocket throughout the 1960s for the Ministry of Defence, and the satellite, originally named Puck, was intended for communication and solar panel testing. When the Black Arrow program was canceled in July 1971 after one successful launch and two failures, the rocket had already been sent to its Woomera, Australia, launchpad. The U.K. decided to go ahead with the launch, and the satellite was rechristened Prospero.…