Black Brant - Bristol Aerospace Limited
(a Magellan Aerospace Company)

Black Brant - Bristol Aerospace Limited (a Magellan Aerospace Company) Over 800 Black Brant rockets have been launched since 1962, when manufacture of the vehicle began. Versions of the Black Brant can carry payloads ranging from 70 to 850 kilograms (154 to 1,874 pounds) to altitudes from 150 to more than 1,500 kilometers (93 to 932 miles), and can provide up to 20 minutes of microgravity time during a flight.

The Black Brant and Nihka motors used on some Black Brant versions are manufactured in Canada by Bristol Aerospace Limited (a Magellan Aerospace Company). The Nike, Talos, and Taurus motors used on other Black Brant versions are built in the United States. These vehicles are integrated by the launch operator. In the United States, NASA has been a frequent user of Black Brant vehicles.

The smallest version of the Black Brant family is the single-stage Black Brant 5, which is 533 centimeters (210 inches) long and 43.8 centimeters (17.24 inches) in diameter. The rocket produces an average thrust of 75,731 newtons (17,025 pounds-force). The Black Brant 5 motor is used as the sec-ond or third stage in larger, multi-stage versions of the Black Brant. The most powerful, Black Brant 12, is a four-stage vehicle that uses the Black Brant 5 motor as its third stage. This vehicle can launch a 113-kilogram (249-pound) payload to an altitude of at least 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), or a 454-kilogram (1,001-pound) payload to an altitude of at least 400 kilometers (249 miles).