VS-30
Brazilian sounding rocket
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1] It consists of a single, solid-fuelled S-30 stage,[2] 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.
 | |
| Function | Sounding rocket |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço |
| Country of origin | Brazil |
| Size | |
| Height | 5 m (16.40 ft) |
| Diameter | 0.56 m (1.83 ft) |
| Mass | 1,400 kg (3,000 lb) |
| Stages | 1 or 2 |
| Launch history | |
| Status | Active |
| Launch sites | Alcântara Andøya Barreira do Inferno Svalbard Rocket Range |
| Failure | 1 |
| First flight | April 28, 1997 |
| First Stage - S-30 | |
| Powered by | 1× S-30 solid rocket motor |
| Maximum thrust | 102.00 kN (22,930 lbf) |
| Burn time | 20 seconds |
| Propellant | AP / HTPB |
| Second stage – Improved Orion (optional) | |
| Height | 2.8 m |
| Diameter | 0.35 m |
| Powered by | 1 Aerojet M112 dual-thrust solid rocket motor |
| Maximum thrust | 7 kN (1,600 lbf) |
| Burn time | 32 seconds |
It has been launched both on its own, or in the VS-30 Orion configuration,[3] with an American Improved Orion second stage.[4][5] On its own, it can reach an apogee of 140 kilometres,[1][2] and with an Orion upper stage, it can reach an apogee of 434 kilometres.[4]
The VS-30 is also used as the upper stage of the VSB-30 rocket.
Flights
List of VS-30 and VS-30 Orion flights:[6][7][5]
| Date | Flight | Location | Mission | Apogee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.04.1997 | VS-30 XV-01 | Alcântara | DLR AL-VS30-223 (test) | 128 km |
| 12.10.1997 | VS-30 XV-02 | Andøya | DLR AL-VS30-226 (aeronomy) | 120 km |
| 31.01.1998 | VS-30 XV-03 | Andøya | DLR AL-VS30-229 (aeronomy) | 120 km |
| 15.03.1999 | VS-30 XV-04 | Alcântara | "São Marcos" (microgravity) | 128 km |
| 06.02.2000 | VS-30 XV-05 | Alcântara | "Lençois Maranhenses" (microgravity) | 148 km |
| 01.12.2002 | VS-30 XV-06 | Alcântara | "Cuma" (microgravity) | 145 km |
| 16.12.2007 | VS-30 V07 | CLBI | "Angicos" (GPS technology) | 120 km |
| 02.12.2011 | VS-30 V08 | CLBI | "Brasil-Alemanha"[8] | |
| 28.06.2013 | VS-30 V09 | Andøya | WADIS 1 | |
| 05.07.2013 | VS-30 V10 | Esrange | MAPHEUS 4 | |
| 01.09.2014 | VS-30 V13 | Alcântara | EPL-MEL5 "Raposa" (L5 liquid rocket engine test for 90s, total flight time 3m34s)[9][10][11][12] | |
| 05.03.2015 | VS-30 V11 | Andøya | WADIS 2[6] | |
| 02.02.2016 | VS-30 V12 | Esrange | SPIDER / LEEWAVES[6] | |
| 12.09.2018 | VS-30 V124 | Alcântara | "MUTITI"[13] | 120 km |
| 21.08.2000 | VS-30 Orion XV-01 | Alcântara | "Baronesa" | |
| 23.11.2002 | VS-30 Orion XV-02 | Alcântara | "Piraperna" | |
| 27.10.2005 | VS-30 Orion V03 | Andøya | SHEFEX 1 (DLR) | |
| 31.01.2008 | VS-30 Orion V04 | Andøya | ARR HotPay-2 | |
| 05.12.2008 | VS-30 Orion V05 | Svalbard | ICI 2 | |
| 03.12.2011 | VS-30 Orion V08 | Svalbard | ICI 3 | |
| 23.04.2012 | VS-30 Orion V06 | Andøya | HIFiRE 5 | |
| 13.09.2012 | VS-30 Orion V07 | Andøya | HIFiRE 3 | |
| 08.12.2012 | VS-30 Orion V10 | Alcântara | "Iguaiba" | |
| 18.09.2013 | VS-30 Orion V09 | Andøya | ScramSpace 1 (launch failure)[14][15] | |
| 01.09.2014 | VS-30 V13 | Alcântara | EPL-ME (liquid rocket engine test) | |
| 19.02.2015 | VS-30 Orion V11 | Andøya | ICI 4 | |
| 18.05.2016 | VS-30 Orion | Woomera | HIFiRE 5b | |
| 09.12.2018 | VS-30 V14 | Alcântara | PSR 01 | |
| 29.11.2024 | VS-30 V15 | CLBI | "Potiguar" |
VS-30 was used to test the EPL-ME (Estágio Propulsivo a Propelente Líquido) liquid propulsion upper stage in 2014.[16]
On December 2, 2023, AEB's president announced that a VS-30 flight from Barreira do Inferno Launch Center is planned for 2024.[17]
Characteristics
- Length (mm) 7428
- Payload Mass (kg) 260
- Diameter (mm) 557
- Total takeoff mass (kg) 1460
- Apogee (km) 160
S-30 rocket engine
The VS-30 sounding rocket uses the S-30 motor as a single-stage rocket for suborbital flights. It is also used in multiple stage configurations, such as the VLS (fourth stage), VS-30 Orion (mentioned above) and VSB-30 (where the S-30 is used as a booster stage).[18][19]
The S-30 rocket engine is a solid-fuel rocket motor developed by the Brazilian Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), primarily for sounding rockets (suborbital research rockets).[20] It is part of the Sonda series, developed by the Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço (IAE) under the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB).
