Brazil's first rocket powered by ethanol has been launched.
The launch of the first Brazilian rocket with a liquid propellant engine took place on Monday night, the 1st, at the Alcântara Launch Center in Maranhão. All the technical requirements for the mission's success were met, according to the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE), of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, which coordinated the operation.
Andreia Verdélio - Reporter for Agência Brasil
The launch of the first Brazilian rocket with a liquid propellant engine took place last night (1st) at the Alcântara Launch Center, in Maranhão. All the technical requirements for the mission's success were met, according to the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE), of the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, which coordinated the operation.
The experiment functioned for the planned period of 90 seconds. The onboard payload, called the Liquid Propellant Propulsion Stage, consists of an engine that uses ethanol and liquid oxygen. The system was developed by the company Orbital Engenharia in partnership with IAE.
The rocket launch occurred at 23:02 PM. During the test, which lasted three minutes and 34 seconds, data was collected for studies of a global positioning system (GPS) for space applications, developed by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, and a safety device for space vehicles, developed by the aeronautics institute.
The operation also served to train the teams in the operation and launch of liquid propellant engines, aiming at their application in the development of future suborbital vehicles and satellite launchers.
The engine's good performance will allow the German Space Agency to resume launching Brazilian rockets from Europe. The Germans participated in the operation by collecting in-flight data through a mobile telemetry station.