Ariel Program

The UK's First Satellites

Named after the sprite from Shakespeare's The Tempest, the UK's Ariel program developed six satellites, launching from 1962 to 1979, in close cooperation with the US' NASA.

Research

Ariel 1 to 4 would study the Earth's ionosphere, with Ariel 5 observing the X-ray band from Low Earth Orbit. Ariel 6's primary instrument was a Cosmic Ray Detector. It also carried two X-ray telescopes.