The private Russian space company Space Energy has launched a prototype of the suborbital rocket "KAMCHATKA". This was reported in the developer's press service.
During the test flight, the rocket reached an apogee of 10 km and a speed of over 600 m/s. The rocket's design includes a multi-channel telemetry system, a stage rescue system, a search and video recording system. These were tested during the launch.
The rescue system is implemented according to a two-stage scheme. At the highest point of the trajectory, the first parachute opens for braking, which reduces the descent speed. When descending to a height of about 1 km, the main dome parachute is activated.
A redundant navigation system is used to track the location of the rocket. One beacon (in the head of the device) transmits GPS data to the ground station every two seconds. The second beacon, operating at a different frequency, sends coordinates directly to the radio receiving device. This information was transmitted to a team of quadcopter operators who monitored the movement of the rocket in real time.
"KAMCHATKA" is equipped with a solid-propellant rocket engine with an impulse of 10,000 N·s. The engine ran for 8 seconds.
After the company's specialists have tested the results and inspected the engine for defects, preliminary results of the successful launch will be summarized. From them, it will be possible to draw a conclusion about the potential of the product for use in a wide range of tasks - from civilian to defense. We hope that in the near future we will be able to witness a full-fledged private launch in Russia to a height of 100 km.
"KAMCHATKA" is a single-stage solid-propellant rocket with a length of 2.5 meters and a mass of 58 kg.
Earlier www1.ru reported that the Russian SR Space will launch its own ultra-light orbital rocket with the help of investors.