Sounding Rockets - Operators and Programmes

Operators and Programmes

• Poker Flat Research Range is owned by the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is the largest range in the world.
• The British Skylark (rocket) was first designed in 1955 and was used for 441 launches before it was terminated in 2005
• India's VSSC developed the Rohini sounding rockets series starting in 1967 that reached altitudes of 500 km
• The Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI) operates a Small Sounding Rocket Program (SSRP) for launching payloads (mostly educational) to altitudes of about 7 km
• The University of Queensland operates Terrier-Orion sounding rockets (capable of reaching altitudes in excess of 300 km) as part of their HyShot hypersonics research
• Iranian Space Agency operated its first sounding rocket in February 2007
• UP Aerospace operates the UP Aerospace SpaceLoftXL sounding rockets that can reach altitudes of 225 km
• TEXUS and MiniTEXUS, German rocket programmes at Esrange for DLR and ESA microgravity research programmes
• Astrium operates missions with sounding rockets on a commercial basis, as prime contractor to ESA or the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
• MASER, Swedish rocket programme at Esrange for ESA microgravity research programmes
• MAXUS, German-Swedish rocket programme at Esrange for ESA microgravity research programmes
• REXUS, German-Swedish rocket programme at Esrange for DLR and ESA student experiment programmes
• The NASA Sounding Rocket Program
• The JAXA operates the sounding rockets S-310/S-520/SS-520
• New Zealand company Rocket Lab is developing the highly adaptable Atea series of sounding rockets to carry 5-70 kg payloads to altitudes of 250 km or greater
• The Meteor rockets were built in Poland between 1963 and 1974.