On 25th Janurary, at the military training area in Drawsko Pomorskie, the Gdynia-based company SpaceForest, conducted the first test flight of PERUN rocket demonstrator.
The Polish company SpaceForest conducted a first test flight of PERUN rocket demonstrator / Picture: SpaceForest
PERUN is a single stage guided suborbital launch vehicle powered by a hybrid rocket engine and designed to provide high performance at a very low cost of operation. For the purposes of this test, the 11.5m long launch vehicle with a 0.45m diameter was powered by an SF200 hybrid engine with a total impulse of 200kNs.
The main goals of the test in Drawsko Pomorskie:
– Checking the new mobile rocket launcher
– Performing the start procedure including rocket launch.
– Maintaining communication with the rocket and obtaining data from the rocket in real time using RASEL– fully autonomous tracking and data transmission system for flying vehicles
– Rocket aerodynamics test during supersonic flight – second milestone of the Suborbital Inexpensive Rocket project
– Testing of the head-body separation system during the flight.
– Deploying parachutes at a certain height and landing the rocket
– Recovery the rocket and transporting it to the company’s headquarters.
According to the manufacturer, PERUN launched at 16:48, reached 1Ma velocity and the altitude 9.750m. All goals have been achieved.