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]
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 | |
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]