Rubis

Rubis Sounding Rocket Pierres Précieuses (Precious Stones) series

Mission Profile

Rubis was a compact single-stage French sounding rocket and ballistic test vehicle, part of the Pierres Précieuses (Precious Stones) series that formed the technological foundation of France's independent space launch program in the 1960s. Standing 5.5 meters tall with a launch mass of 2,820 kg and generating 162 kN of thrust, it first flew in June 1964. The Precious Stones program — which included Rubis, Véronique, Saphir, Emeraude, and Diamant — provided French engineers with essential propulsion, guidance, and aerodynamics data that enabled France to become the third nation to independently achieve orbital spaceflight with the Diamant rocket in 1965. Rubis represents one small but important step in that remarkable national achievement.