Shaba North
Rocket launch site
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shaba North (also mentioned as Kapani Tonneo)[1][2] was the launch site of the first rockets launched by Orbital Transport und Raketen AktienGesellschaft, or Orbital Forwarding Company in English ("OTRAG").[3][4][5]
| Kapani Tonneo | |
  Location within Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Formation | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Type | rocket launch site |
| Coordinates | 7.9239844°S 28.5360758°E |
| Owner | OTRAG |
It is located at the edge of a mesa in Shaba (now Katanga province), the Democratic Republic of Congo.[6] In 1976 Luvua Airport was built to supply the site.[7][8][9]
In 1977 and in 1978 three test flights of OTRAG rockets were launched from Shaba North.[1][10]
In 1979 OTRAG stopped launching rockets from Shaba North after pressure from the Soviet Union, whose leaders were concerned about German interests obtaining powerful long-range rockets.[2] Its launching activities were later moved to Sabha, Libya.
Launches
Three test flights were launched from Shaba North.[1]
| Date | OTRAG version | Apogee | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 May 18 | 4x9m | 15 km | Four-module test vehicle, 6 m long; propulsion test |
| 1978 May 19 | 4x9m | 30 km | Four-module test vehicle, 6 m long; high altitude night test |
| 1978 Jun 5 | 4x15m | 0 | Lost control and crashed in seconds |
