VS-40
Brazilian rocket
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The VS-40 (Foguete Suborbital VS-40) is a Brazilian sounding rocket using solid fuel and stabilized aerodynamically.
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 | 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 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]
Flights
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]
Characteristics
- Length (mm) 6725
- Payload Mass (kg) 500
- Diameter (mm) 1000
- Total takeoff mass (kg) 6,737
- Mass of propellant (kg) 5,054
- Structural mass (kg) 1,028
- Apogee (km) 650
- Microgravity time (s) 760
S-40 rocket engine
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]
- S-40 - first stage of Sonda-4;
- S-40TM - first stage of VS-40; third stage of VLS-1;[5][13]
- S-40M - first stage of VS-40M; second stage of VLM.
S-40TM specifications
Source:[13]
- Total mass: 5664 kg
- Unfueled mass: 1212kg
- Thrust: 208.39 kN
- SI: 275 seconds
- Burn time: 56 s
S-44 rocket engine
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]
S-44 specifications
Source:[14]
- Total mass: 1025 kg
- Unfueled mass: 190 kg
- Thrust: 33.24 kN
- SI: 282 seconds
- Burn time: 68 s
