Skylark

CTV.5 Series 3, Gassiot Vehicle

Mission Profile

The Skylark (CTV.5 Series 3, Gassiot Vehicle) was a single-to-two-stage British sounding rocket in the Skylark family, one of the most successful and longest-serving sounding rockets in history. Standing 7.6 m tall with a 0.4 m diameter and a liftoff mass of 1.05 tonnes, it generated 44 kN of thrust. First flying in February 1957 from Woomera, Australia, the Skylark served for over 40 years in numerous variants, conducting hundreds of scientific flights for upper atmosphere, astronomy, and microgravity research across multiple launch sites worldwide.