Missile explosion in Brazil in 2003
Coordinates: 2 ° 22 ′ 23 " S , 44 ° 23 ′ 47" W.
On August 22, 2003, a heavy explosion destroyed a VLS-1 rocket belonging to the Brazilian space agency Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB) on the launch table in the Alcântara Air Force Base in northern Brazil . 21 people died when one of the rocket's four engines accidentally ignited and detonated the entire rocket. The explosion caused a fire in the nearby jungle and created a large cloud of smoke that was visible from a great distance. It was the third attempt by the Brazilians to launch a rocket of their own design into orbit .
The explosion destroyed the rocket launch table and a ten-story movable assembly structure that enclosed the rocket and launch table at the time of the accident. Twenty kilometers away, the residents of the city of São Luís could hear the bang. The rocket was due to launch three days later and had the two satellites SATEC and UNOSAT on board.
After the explosion, the Brazilian space agency was criticized for using solid fuel rockets , which are easier to build and ignite than liquid-fuel rockets , but are also riskier because they cannot be stopped after being ignited. The accident and the fact that many scientists and engineers who worked on the program died in the rocket explosion, as well as the subsequent government investigation, delayed the Brazilian space program considerably. Even 10 years later, Brazil did not have a launch vehicle and suffered from restrictions on access to space technologies.
Web links
- BBC: Fatal blast hits Brazil hopes space (English)
- space daily: Satellite Image Of Brazilian Rocket Explosion Aftermath (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Dec anos depois, explosão de foguete ainda trava setor espacial brasileiro. In: planobrazil.com. Plano Brasil, August 22, 2013, accessed February 10, 2019 (Brazilian Portuguese).