VLS
by
Jean-Jacques Serra
Brazil's space activity started in the early sixties with the creation of a
space research national commission. It was composed of the space physics lab of
Sao José dos Campos and a sounding rocket launch site 20 km south of
Natal.
The first Brazilian realization was the Sonda-1 rocket. It weighed 60 kg and
could send 4 kg to 60-75 km altitude. In 1966 the 360 kg Sonda-2 could send 45
kg at 80 km altitude. This 30 cm diameter rocket was later used as top stage
for the Sonda-3 which could reach 600 km altitude with 60 kg of payload.
Sonda-3 was 1.6 tons, 8 m high. It featured a 56 cm diameter first stage. It
was first launched on 26 Feb 1976.
The startup of this rocket was soon followed by a US and French embargo on
hardware (solid fuel and electronic equipment) needed to build them. Brazil
then asked Germany and Taiwan for help to go on with their civilian and
military rocket program.
A new sounding rocket (being prepared since 1974 with the help of Germany by
the Instituto de Atividades Espacias, later known as Instituto de Aeronautica e
Espaco) was launched on 21 Nov 1984 from the Barreira do Inferno launch site.
This two-stage rocket was 11 m high. It weighed 7.3 tons at takeoff and reaches
650 km altitude with 500 kg payload. The first stage is 1 m diameter and 7.7
tons. It provides 203 kN thrust (ground level) during 60 seconds. The second
stage is 56 cm diameter and provides 95 kN during 28 seconds.
In the mid eighties Brazil started several ballistic missiles programs. The
SS-300 (Avibas) had a 300 km range. It was 11.5 m long and 1 m diameter. It
weighed 8 tons at takeoff with a 1 ton charge. Several test flights where
carried on in 1987 but the program was cancelled in 1989. The MB/EE-150
(Orbita) has 150 km range; it was 12 m long and weighed 4.5 tons with 500 kg of
military payload. This program was also cancelled but it contributed to
reinforce the embargo on inertial and pyrotechnic components.
The VLS launcher was developped by the Orbita company under control of
the Centro Tecnico Aerospacial (CTA) and of the Instituto de Aeronautica e
Espaco (IAE). It is a 4-stage solid fuel rocket that weighs approx. 50 tons and
measures 19 m high. It is made of a central body to which 4 boosters (derived
from Sonda-4) are attached. Those boosters are 1 m diameter, 9 m long and weigh
8.5 tons. They provide 309 kN thrust during 60 seconds. The central body has 3
parts of 1 m diameter. The first one is very similar to the boosters with a
nozzle adapted to altitude. The second provides 213 kN thrust during 57 seconds
while the third provides 34 kN during 68 seconds. The VLS is designed to
deliver 200 kg of payload in LEO at 750 km, 25° orbit or at 500 km in
sun-synchronous orbit.
A first test of the 1/3 model failed in December 1985. A second one was
successful in May 1989. This VLS-R2 confirmed correct separation of the stages.
Those tests were made from the Barreira do Inferno base but the VLS should be
launched from a new base at Alcantara (2.2° south) from where a Sonda-4
was launched in February 1990. In April 1993 Brazil fired an experimental
vehicle (VS-40) made of the last two stages of VLS. The vehicle reached 1248 km
altitude.
The VLS program developement is slow due to the embargo which bares importation
of the inertial module.
#
|
Launch
id
|
Payload
|
Launch
Date
|
Site
|
Type
|
Status/Comment
(orbit in perigee x apogee x inclination x period)
|
1
|
FTO
|
SCD 2A
|
2
Nov 1997 at 12:25 UT
|
A |
|
Failure:
one 1-stage motor failed
|
2
|
FTO
|
Saci 2
|
11 Dec 1999 at 19:40 UT
|
A |
|
Failure: the second stage failed to ignite
|
3
|
FTO
|
Satec
Unosat
|
n/a
|
|
|
Exploded on the launch pad before launch on 22 Aug 2003. 21 people were killed. A strap-on booster ignited permaturely (defect?) and destroyed the rocket and the launch pad.
|
Notes: A: Alcantara, Maranhao state Brazil (2°17' S, 44°23' W)