V-2 - Technical Details - Testing

Testing

See also: List of V-2 test launches For a description of a test explosion, see Test Stand VII.

The first successful test flight was on 3 October 1942:

This third day of October, 1942, is the first of a new era in transportation, that of space travel...

— Speech at Peenemünde, Walter Dornberger, 3 October 194217

Two test launches were recovered by the Allies: the Bäckebo rocket which landed in Sweden on 13 June 1944 and one recovered by the Polish resistance on 30 May 1944 from Blizna and transported to the UK during Operation Most III.

Test launches of V-2 rockets (Aggregate-4) were made at Peenemünde, Blizna and Tuchola Forest, and after the war, at Cuxhaven by the British, White Sands Proving Grounds, Cape Canaveral and Kapustin Yar.

Various design issues were identified and solved during V-2 development and testing:

• To reduce tank pressure and weight, high flow turbopumps were used to boost pressure.
• A short and lighter combustion chamber without burn-through was developed by using centrifugal injection nozzles, a mixing compartment, and a converging nozzle to the throat for homogeneous combustion.
• Film cooling was used to prevent burn through at the nozzle throat.
• Relay contacts were made more durable to withstand vibration and prevent thrust cutoff just after lift-off.
• Ensuring that the fuel pipes had tension-free curves reduced the likelihood of explosions at 4,000–6,000 ft (1,219–1,829 m).
• Fins were shaped with clearance to prevent damage as the exhaust jet expanded with altitude.
• To control trajectory at lift off and supersonic speeds, heat-resistant graphite vanes were used as rudders in the exhaust jet.