Cora

Cora Sounding Rocket

Mission Profile

The Cora was a French two-stage sounding rocket developed for upper atmosphere scientific research, first flown in November 1966. Standing 11 m tall with a 1.5 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 3,600 kg, it was designed to carry scientific instruments on suborbital trajectories for atmospheric and ionospheric studies. The Cora represented France's growing investment in domestic rocket technology during the 1960s, contributing to the national expertise that would eventually support the development of the European Ariane orbital launch vehicle.