Rocket Activities
There had been Swedish rocket activities previously, mainly at Kronogård (18 launches in the period 1961-1964). However, the rocket activity in Sweden did not gain thrust until after ESRO established Esrange in 1964.
During the period 1966-1972 ESRO launched more than 150 rockets from Esrange. Most of these were Centaure, Nike Apache, and Skua rockets reaching 100–220 km altitude. They supported many branches of European research, but the emphasis was on atmospheric and ionospheric research.
In 1972 the management of Esrange was transferred to the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC). Gradually the smaller rockets were complemented by larger rockets reaching higher altitudes, achieving weightlessness for a few minutes when the rocket is above the parts of the atmosphere giving an appreciable friction. Three main programmes, Texus, Maser, and Maxus currently dominate the rocket activities at Esrange and support microgravity research for ESA and DLR:
| Programme | Rocket motor | Peak altitude | Payload mass | Microgravity time | Period | Launches | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texus | Skylark 7, VSB-30 | 250–300 km | 330–400 kg | 6 minutes | 1977- | 48 | DLR and ESA |
| Maser | Black Brant, Skylark 7, VSB-30 | 250–300 km | 330–400 kg | 6 minutes | 1987- | 11 | ESA |
| Maxus | Castor 4B | 700–720 km | 800 kg | 12–13 minutes | 1991- | 7 | ESA and DLR |
| Mini-Texus | Nike Orion | 120–150 km | 160–200 kg | 3–4 minutes | 1993–1998 | 6 | DLR and ESA |
More than 400 rockets have been launched from Esrange since 1966. For information on individual rockets, see the Esrange rocket launch list.
Esrange has four launch pads:
- Aries launcher
- Centaure launcher
- MRL Launcher (used for the Black Brant)
- Skylark launch tower (used for the Maxus and Skylark)
Read more about this topic: Esrange
Famous quotes containing the words rocket and/or activities:
“A rocket is a reed that thinks brilliantly.”
—José Bergamín (1895–1983)
“The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind.”
—Sigmund Freud (1856–1939)