On this day in space! Oct. 28, 1971: Britain launches its 1st satellite Prospero into space on a Black Arrow rocket

The article recounts the Oct. 28, 1971 launch of Prospero, the first and only British satellite launched into space on a UK-built Black Arrow rocket. It explains the mission’s scientific goals, its antenna-damaging post-separation collision, and its lasting place in British spaceflight history.