Brasília - The first probe missile prototype, the VBS-30, was launched this Saturday (23) at the Alcântara Launch Center, in Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. The launch is part of the Cajuana Operation and was considered a success by the teams from the Aeronautics Institute of the Aerospace Technical Center (CTA/IAE) and the German Space Center, which are responsible for the program.

According to the press office of the Aeronautics Research Department, the missile remained for seven minutes in a microgravity environment. The first VBS-30 operational flights are scheduled for November, 2005, and May, 2006. Both will lift European experiments to an altitude of 250 kilometers.

The VBS-30 contains various innovations in relation to other probe missiles previously produced in Brazil. It has a booster engine to accelerate takeoff. The prototype also possesses a system of bearings and fins (rollerons) to ensure greater precision in flight. Moreover, the VBS-30 carries equipment that makes it possible to accompany the missile's trajectory by radar, telemetry, or GPS and gauge temperature and rotation.

Agência Brasil
Reporter: Lílian Macedo
Translator: David Silberstein
10/25/2004