HEAT-1X-Tycho Brahe

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Start of the HEAT-1X-Tycho Brahe on June 3, 2011

The HEAT-1X-Tycho Brahe (HEAT = Hybrid Exo Atmospheric Transporter) is a privately financed and built combination of the HEAT-1X rocket with the Tycho Brahe-1 space capsule . The builder is the Danish association Copenhagen Suborbitals .

The space capsule was named in honor of the Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe . It has a plexiglass tip so that possible passengers can watch the flight. The single stage HEAT-1X missile uses polyurethane (synthetic rubber) as a fuel and liquid oxygen as an oxidizer.

The founders of Copenhagen Suborbitals Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengtson had financed the project privately through donations. About 40 companies and 1,800 private individuals donated money.

Start attempts

On September 5, 2010, the 9.38 m long and 1627 kg heavy rocket was supposed to launch for the first time from its floating Sputnik launch platform near the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. An altitude of about 30 kilometers was planned. The rocket flew unmanned, but a 70 kg crash test dummy was still on board as a passenger. The rocket and its Sputnik launch platform were moved from the port of Nexø to the launch position by the UC3-Nautilus submarine built by Peter Madsen . After reaching the altitude, the capsule should return safely to parachutes and land in the Baltic Sea .

The attempt to start failed at around 2:44 p.m. due to the frozen oxygen valve: A blow dryer installed for de-icing had failed due to a lack of power.

The second start attempt took place on June 3, 2011. The rocket reached a height of 2.8 kilometers for the first time, but 16 km were planned. The reason for this was that the rocket tilted about 30 degrees a few seconds after takeoff and quickly reached the limit of the launch area. Therefore the engine had to be switched off manually.

  • HEAT-1X-Tycho on the Sputnik launch platform

  • HEAT-1X-Tycho Brahe at the start

  • HEAT-1X-Tycho Brahe in Nexø

  • Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengtson

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Elmar Jung: The hair dryer was her fate . In: Financial Times Deutschland, September 7, 2010, p. 28.
  2. ^ Donation and Sponsor List. Copenhagen Suborbitals, archived from the original on May 26, 2011 ; accessed on June 4, 2011 .
  3. ↑ Copenhagen Suborbitals: HEAT-1X Tycho Brahe Flight trajectory analysis. (PDF; 1.9 MB) September 14, 2012, p. 2 , archived from the original on May 30, 2013 ; accessed on May 19, 2013 (English).
  4. ↑ Danish “discount rocket” covers 2.8 kilometers
  5. ↑ Sascha Haupt: maiden flight of the HEAT-1X rocket. raumfahrer.net, June 3, 2011, accessed June 4, 2011 .
  6. ↑ HEAT-1X - Copenhagen Suborbitals. Retrieved May 27, 2018 (UK English).