VSB-30


VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" or "Foguete Suborbital VSB-30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange.
The VSB-30 is based on the VS-30 rocket with the addition of a booster stage. Development started in 2000 in cooperation with DLR.
The rocket can carry a payload of 400 kg to an altitude of 270 km. It has a liftoff thrust of 240 kN and a total mass of 2570 kg. It has a diameter of 0.56 m and a length of 12.6 m.
VSB-30 was first launched on October 23, 2004, at Alcântara Launch Center. The first launch at Esrange took place on December 1, 2005.

Flights

VSB-30 performed the following flights:
DateFlightSiteNameApogee
23 October 2004XV-01AlcântaraCajuana test240 km
1 December 2005V02EsrangeTEXUS EML-1/TEXUS 42 Microgravity mission263 km
10 May 2006V03EsrangeTEXUS 43 Microgravity mission237 km
19 July 2007V04AlcântaraCuma II Microgravity mission242 km
7 February 2008V05EsrangeDLR TEXUS 44 264 km
21 February 2008V06EsrangeDLR TEXUS 45270 km
15 May 2008V08EsrangeMASER 11252 km
22 November 2009V09EsrangeTEXUS 46
29 November 2009V10EsrangeTEXUS 47
12 December 2010V07AlcântaraMICROG 1A242 km
29 March 2011V15EsrangeTEXUS 49268 km
29 March 2011V14EsrangeTEXUS 48268 km
13 February 2012V16EsrangeMASER 12259 km
12 April 2013V17EsrangeTEXUS 50
22 February 2015V20EsrangeCRYOFENIX
30 March 2015V13AndøyaHIFiRE 7
23 April 2015V18EsrangeTEXUS 51
27 April 2015V21EsrangeTEXUS 52
30 July 2015V24EsrangeMapheus 5
1 December 2015V22EsrangeMASER 13
23 January 2016V23EsrangeTEXUS 53
7 December 2016V11AlcântaraMICROG 2
23 January 2017V19EsrangeMAIUS 1
13 May 2017V25EsrangeMAPHEUS 6
30 June 2017V12WoomeraHIFiRE 4a / HIFiRE 4b
13 May 2018V26EsrangeTEXUS 54
31 May 2018V27EsrangeTEXUS 55
24 June 2019V??EsrangeMASER-14260 km
15 November 2019V??EsrangeTEXUS-56256 km
14 December 2021V32AlcântaraCruzeiro Operation 280 km
1 October 2022V??EsrangeTEXUS-57
23 October 2022V29AlcântaraOperação Santa Branca 227 km
23 November 2022V??EsrangeS1X-3/MASER 15 260 km
24 April 2023V??EsrangeTEXUS-58250 km
2 December 2023V??EsrangeMAIUS-2234 km
15 February 2024V??EsrangeTEXUS-59264.5 km
24 March 2024V??EsrangeTEXUS-60251.7 km
26 November 2024V??EsrangeMASER 16

Characteristics

VSB-30 has the following configuration:
  • Length : 12600
  • Stages: 2
  • Payload Mass : 400
  • Diameter : 570
  • Total takeoff mass : 2570
  • Apogee : 270

    Stages

[S-30 [solid rocket stage]]

  • Gross Mass: 1,200 kg
  • Unfuelled mass: 341 kg
  • Height: 3.30 m
  • Diameter: 0.56 m
  • Thrust: 102.00 kN
  • Burn time: 20 s

    S-31 solid rocket stage

  • Gross Mass: 900 kg
  • Unfuelled mass: 284 kg
  • Height: 3.20 m
  • Diameter: 0.56 m
  • Thrust: 240.00 kN
  • Burn time: 11 s

    S-31 rocket engine

The VSB-30 sounding rocket uses the S-31 motor as first stage. The S-31 is also used in other various configurations like the VSB-30 Improved Orion, S-31 Improved Orion, S-31 Improved Malemute and S-31 Improved Malemute Improved Orion.
The S-31 is a solid-fuel rocket motor developed and manufactured in Brazil by Avibras Aeroespacial.

S-31 specifications

  • Type: Solid-fuel rocket motor
  • Fuel: HTPB-based composite propellant
  • Thrust: 240 kN
  • Burn time: 11 seconds
  • Diameter: 56 cm
  • Length: 3.2 meters
  • Fuel Mass: 284 kg
  • Total Mass: 900 kg