Astronotes Armagh Planetarium's Stellar Blog! ... Space Flight . ... Rockets . ... Once upon a time in the sixties, a Blue Streak is prepared for test (Image Credit:BROHP) . ... Blue Streak was a Cold War era experimental British missile , later it became the vital first stage of the first European space launcher. ... Why was it called Blue Streak? ... Instead Blue Streak would be a vital element of the British space programme (an idea which was pursued with deadly seriousness at the time). ...