 | |
| Function | Sounding rocket Test of the VLM-1 subsystems |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | IAE DLR |
| Country of origin | Brazil, Germany |
| Size | |
| Height | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Diameter | 1.46 m (4 ft 9 in) |
| Stages | 2 |
| Associated rockets | |
| Derivative work | VLM |
| Launch history | |
| Status | In development |
| Launch sites | Alcântara Launch Center |
| First flight | 2024 |
| stage | |
VS-50 (suborbital rocket VS-50) is a joint development of sounding rocket from the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE) and German Aerospace Center (DLR). [1]
It is a suborbital vehicle that uses solid fuel, having two stages: the first uses the S50 engine (made of composite material [2] ) and the second uses the S44 engine. It is 12 m long, 1.46 m in diameter, and has a mass of approximately 15 tons, and can carry up to 500 kg of payload. [1] [3]
Brazil (IAE) is responsible for developing the S50 and S44 engines, the backup navigation system, the launch and flight safety infrastructure, and project documentation management. The development and qualification of the other systems are the responsibility of Germany (DLR). [1] [3]
The rocket will be used primarily to develop, manufacture and flight qualify the S50 engine, as well as components to be used in the VLM-1 rocket. It will also be used in microgravity testing and hypersonic experiments (such as the German SHEFEX project). [1] [3]
The Alcântara Space Center, former known as Alcântara Launch Center is a space center and launching facility of the Brazilian Space Agency in the city of Alcântara, located on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast, in the state of Maranhão. It is operated by the Brazilian Air Force. The CEA is the closest launching base to the equator. This gives the launch site a significant advantage in launching geosynchronous satellites, an attribute shared by the Guiana Space Centre.
The Brazilian Space Agency is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's space program. It operates a spaceport at Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. It is the largest and most prominent space agency in Latin America.
The 2003 Alcântara VLS accident was an accident during the Brazilian Space Agency's third attempt to launch the VLS-1 rocket, which was intended to launch two satellites into orbit. The rocket ignited on its launch pad at the Alcântara Launch Center, killing 21 people. It is the third deadliest space exploration related disaster in history.
The Brazilian Air Force is the air branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces and one of the three national uniformed services. The FAB was formed when the Army and Navy air branches were merged into a single military force initially called "National Air Forces" in 1941. Both air branches transferred their equipments, installations and personnel to the new force.
The Brazilian Department of Science and Aerospace Technology is the national military research center for aviation and space flight. It is subordinated to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).
The Brazilian space program is the rocketry and space exploration programs conducted by Brazil from 1961, under GOCNAE until the creation of the Brazilian Space Agency in 1994. It has significant capabilities in launch vehicles, launch sites, and satellite manufacturing. It is based at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MCT). Upon its founding the program was under complete military control, which hindered its development, as other countries blocked technological development due to concerns over missile proliferation. In 1994, the space program was transferred to civilian control under the Brazilian Space Agency.
Ozires Silva is a Brazilian entrepreneur who is the founder of Embraer.
The VLS-1 was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle was to be capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center due to its proximity to the equator.
The MAA-1 Piranha is a short-range infrared homing missile and the first air-to-air missile developed by Brazil for its Air Force and Navy. It was designed to replace the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile in Brazilian service and has since been exported to Colombia, Indonesia and Pakistan.
The VS-30 is a Brazilian sounding rocket, developed by the Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço and derived from the Sonda 3 sounding rocket first stage. It consists of a single, solid-fuelled stage, and has been launched from Alcântara, Maranhão and Barreira do Inferno, Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil, and Andøya and Svalbard Rocket Range in Norway.
The AV-TM 300 Tactical Missile or MTC-300 is a Brazilian cruise missile developed by Avibras for the Astros II system. Nicknamed Matador ("killer"), it is projected to be a less expensive alternative to the American BGM-109 Tomahawk. The missile is equipped with a central computer that combines a Ring laser gyroscope, connected to an active GPS navigation device that uninterruptedly supplies positioning information for course correction. Apparently there also will be a naval version called X-300. The missile can use a single warhead of 200 to 500 kg high explosive or cluster munition warhead with 64 submunitions for anti-personnel or anti-tank targets.
The VS-40 is a Brazilian sounding rocket using solid fuel and stabilized aerodynamically.
National Anti-Ship Missile also named AV-RE40 —previously known as MAN-1—is a US$75 million anti-ship missile project under development by Avibras, Mectron, Atech and Omnisys for the Brazilian Navy. The design aims to achieve performance similar to MBDA MM40 Exocet Block II. It is expected to begin field tests in 2017, and should begin production around late 2018 or early 2019.
SARA - Satélite de Reentrada Atmosférica is a Brazilian satellite project, with the objective of performing experiments in microgravity environment and returning them to the Earth.
The VLM is a proposed three-stage satellite launcher being developed by the Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology in collaboration with Germany. The project originated in 2008 as a simplified version of the VLS-1 rocket, using only the core stages. The first launch is currently planned for no earlier than 2027.
Trocano (tɾoˈkɐnu) is a Brazilian thermobaric weapon similar in design to the United States' MOAB weapon or Russia's FOAB. Like the US weapon, the Trocano is designed to be pallet-loaded into a C-130 Hercules - "Hércules" (ˈɛʁkuleʃ) - aircraft, and deployed using a parachute to drag it from the C-130's cargo bay and separate from its pallet, at which point the bomb's own aerodynamics determine its drop trajectory.
Tancredo-1 was a Brazilian picosatellite. It was a TubeSat which was developed by the students from the school Tancredo Almeida Neves, in Ubatuba (SP), with support for the picosat platform made by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), adapting and integration to launch provided by TuPOD from Italian company GAUSS Srl and by Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB).
The Missão Centenário was born of an agreement between the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and the Roscosmos on October 18, 2005. The main objective of this treaty would be to send the first Brazilian into space, Lt. Col. Aviator Marcos Pontes.
The Institute of Aeronautics and Space is a military research organization of the Brazilian Air Force's Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), founded on 1 January 1954.
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| Sounding rockets |
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Non-military suborbital rocket engines and motors that have flown | ||
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| Liquid fuel engines |  | |
| Hybrid propellant engines | ||
| Solid propellant motors | ||
| Related articles | ||
