Replica 'Black Arrow' rocket constructed in Sandown 50 years after first launch

Watch: ITV News Meridian's Richard Slee reports.

A special event was held on the Isle of Wight today (Thursday 28th October), to mark 50 years since the Black Arrow rocket carried the first British satellite into space.

To mark the anniversary guests were invited to Sandown Airport to meet those who worked on the original project and those who worked on a full sized replica.

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s secret testing was held on the Island at the Needles.

Watch: Richard Curtis, Project Coordinator.

From 1955 Saunders Roe leased the site and tested the rockets 'Black Knight', 'Black Arrow' and the satellite 'Prospero' - before they were then launched in Australia.

The first rocket, known as 'Black Knight' was tested in April 1957 at the Highdown site and after further testing, the rockets were taken to Woomera in Australia for launching.

Black Knight was designed to better understand the effect of re-entry to the earth's atmosphere on a missile and to develop the design of large liquid fuelled rockets.

In all, 22 Black Knight rockets were launched.

Watch: Marlene Irving, Former Rocket Technician.

After Black Knight, the Black Arrow, which was designed to put a satellite into orbit, was introduced from the late 1960s.

In 1971 it was launched from Woomera along with the satellite 'Prospero' which was tucked into the nose cone.

Within days of the successful launch, the British Government cancelled the space programme and the final Black Arrow rocket built was given to the Science Museum in London.