![]() VS-40 rocket on display in Brazil | |
Function | Sounding rocket |
---|---|
Country of origin | Brazil |
Size | |
Height | 9.5 m (31 ft) |
Diameter | 1.01 m (3 ft 4 in) |
Mass | 6,800 kg (15,000 lb) |
Stages | 2 |
Capacity | |
Payload to sub-orbital flight | |
Altitude | 650 km (400 mi) |
Mass | 500 kg (1,100 lb) |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Alcântara Space Center, Andøya Space, Barreira do Inferno Launch Center |
Total launches | 3 |
Failure(s) | 1 [1] |
First flight | 2 April 1993 |
First stage – S40TM | |
Gross mass | 4,200 kg (9,300 lb) |
Specific impulse | 275 seconds (2.70 km/s) |
Burn time | 56 seconds |
Second stage –S44M | |
Gross mass | 810 kg (1,790 lb) |
Maximum thrust | 33.24 kN (7,470 lbf) |
Specific impulse | 282 seconds (2.77 km/s) |
Burn time | 68 seconds |
The VS-40 (Foguete Suborbital VS-40) is a Brazilian sounding rocket using solid fuel and stabilized aerodynamically.
The original version,VS-40,uses the S-40TM (4,200 kg) first stage engine and the S-44M (810 kg) second stage engine. [2] [3] [4] This configuration corresponds to the upper stages of the VLS-1 rocket. [5]
Version VS-40M used a S-40M engine for the first stage. [4]
VS40 performed the following flights: [4] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [1] [11]
Date | Version | Flight | Site | Mission |
---|---|---|---|---|
1993/04/02 | VS-40 | V01 | Alcântara | Operação Santa Maria - Qualifying flight for the S44 engine. 760 seconds in micro-gravity. [4] |
1998/03/21 | VS-40 | V02 | Alcântara | Operação Livramento - VAP-1 (Fokker) payload. [12] |
2012/06/22 | VS-40M | V03 | Andøya | SHEFEX (Sharp Edge Flight Experiment) II payload. [9] [10] |
2015/11/13 | VS-40M | Alcântara | Operação São Lourenço - SARA Suborbital 1 (reentry experiment) –Failure (exploded on pad) [6] [7] [8] [1] [12] |
A flight of VS-40M carrying "SARA Suborbital 2" was planned but eventually cancelled. A future flight of VS-40M carrying HIFiRE 8 is in development. [4]
The S-40 is a solid-propellant rocket motor developed and manufactured by Avibras Aeroespacial,a Brazilian aerospace company,primarily for use in sounding rockets. Different versions were used on several rockets: [4]
The S-44 is a solid-propellant rocket motor developed by the Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço (IAE),part of Brazil’s Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia Aeroespacial (DCTA). [14] It was used as second stage of VS-40 and VS-40M;the third stage of VLM and the fourth stage of VLS-1. [4]