Cora was a French experimental rocket. It was the largest rocket ever launched in Western Europe. It was primarily used for testing the second (Coralie) and third stages (Astris) of the multinational Europa Rocket, which was developed and produced by the European Launcher Development Organisation, the predecessor to the present day European Space Agency.
For the Cora 1 only the French Coralie first stage was active. For the Cora 2 version the second German Astris stage was active. The Italian made Europa nose fairing was also tested. It was powered by a four-nozzle engine that produced 220 KN of thrust and had a specific impulse (in vacuum) of 280 seconds. A cylindrical black ring supporting four fins was attached to the rocket's base.<gallery mode="packed" heights="250">
File:Cora rocket diagram-01.jpg|Cora 1 stages diagram
File:Coralie rocket stage diagram-01.jpg|Coralie 1st stage diagram
</gallery>
Launch history
Six Cora launches were planned, the first four using the Cora 1 configuration and the last two using the Cora 2. Only the three first launches took place, with the Cora 2 configuration never being tested: