Sonda (rocket)

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VS-40 missile on display in Parque Ana Lídia , Brazil

Sonda is a series of Brazilian sounding rockets powered by solid rocket propulsion .

Missiles

The Sonda 1 is a two-stage rocket with a peak height of 65 km, a launch thrust of 27 kN, a launch mass of 100 kg, a diameter of 11 centimeters. It was launched nine times between 1965 and 1966 and had a payload of around 5 kg.

The Sonda 2 is a single-stage rocket with a maximum flight altitude of 180 km, a launch thrust of 36 kN, a launch mass of 400 kg, a diameter of 30 cm and a length of 5.6 m. It was launched seven times between 1990 and 1996 and had a payload of less than 70 kg.

The Sonda 3 is a two-stage rocket available in three versions (Sonda 3, Sonda 3M1 and Sonda 3M2) with a peak height between 250 and 650 km, a starting thrust of 102 kN, a diameter of 0.30 m and a length of 8.00 m . She used the Sonda 2 as an upper level on a new first level. The rockets came into use from 1976 and had a payload of between 50 and 150 kg. The takeoff weight is 1500 kg for the first version and 1400 kg for the second version.

The Sonda 4 is a two-stage rocket with a peak height of between 700 and 1000 km, a launch thrust of 203 kN, a launch mass of 7200 kg, a diameter of 1.01 m and a length of 11.00 m. Again, a modified Sonda 3 was used as an upper level on a new first level. It was launched seven times between 1984 and 1990 and had a payload of between 300 and 500 kg. The VLS-1 launcher is based on the Sonda 4 and uses 4 as a booster and a modified one as the first stage.

Furthermore, with the versions VS-30 , VS 30 / Orion , VSB-30 and VS -40 based on the Sonda 3 or 4, there are further one or two-stage variants for suborbital flights.

VS-40 data

  • Length over all: 6.725 m
  • Step diameter: 1 m
  • Levels: 1
  • Total weight: 6235 kg
  • Weight of the payload: 500 kg
  • Achievable altitude in apogee: 650 km

Use in Germany

The VS-30 was selected by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as the first stage for their experimental missile SHEFEX-I, the VS-40 for its successor SHEFEX II within the development and flight experiment program SHEFEX .

Military use

The Brazilian army also has military counterparts to the civilian Sonda 1 to 4 missiles in the form of the battlefield weapons SS-07, SS-40 and SS-60 (the army designations of the last two types are FTG X-20 and FTG X-40) , SS300 or SS1000.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Numerous pictures of the VS-40 during the DLR experiment SHEFEX-II on the Andoya Rocket Range website ( memento from June 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ^ Information Center Science & Peace Dossier No. 8: The secret missile power