UK: Record-breaking Russian 'HFL Kholod' rocket set to fetch £50,000 at auction

The Russian 'HFL Kholod' rocket, that once broke the air speed record for an unmanned vehicle, was on display at Summers Place Auctions in Billingshurst, Tuesday, a week before it goes up for auction on Tuesday, June 23. The titanium and stainless steal rocket was one of the first projects that Russia and the USA worked on following the end of the Cold War. It famously broke the air speed record for an unmanned vehicle within the earth's atmosphere in 1994 when it reached a maximum air speed of Mach 6.47 (4,925 mph), twenty times faster than a Formula One racing car. The rocket measures 40 feet (12m) in length and weighs 5.5 tonnes. Teams from Russia, the USA and France worked on the HFL Kholod, which was one of the first rockets to boast the groundbreaking scramjet technology. The HFL Kholod rocket was successfully decommissioned for safety purposes and can never fly again. It is expected to fetch between £35,000 (€48,657;$54,679) and £50,000 (€69,510; $78,113) at auction.