Maxus 6 set to launch

[qzzq]

From Space.com: <ul type="square">Sweden Readies for Space Rocket Launch<br /><br />STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- Swedish Space Corp. workers on Thursday carried out final preparations on a rocket carrying weightlessness experiments that is due to be launched next week.<br /><br />The 50-foot-long solid-fuel Maxus 6 is expected to be launched, weather permitting, from a launch pad in Sweden's far north.<br /><br />If it is successful, the rocket will climb to an altitude of 441 miles, reaching the edge of space, and float weightless for about 12 minutes before falling back to earth.<br /><br />The 12.4-ton, single-stage "sounding rocket" will carry eight European Space Agency-funded microgravity experiments aboard it.<br /><br />For such experiments, rockets are launched just beyond the atmosphere into the edge of space and flights last a few minutes before the payload parachutes back to earth where it is typically recovered within an hour after impact.<br /><br />The Esrange launching pad is located near Kiruna, some 765 miles north of the capital because of its remote location and lack of people living nearby.<br /><br />The cost of Monday's launch is estimated to be $11.6 million, SSC spokeswoman Johanna Bergstroem-Roos told The Associated Press.</ul>More at the link. Also: Schematic of Maxus 6.<br /><br />441 miles up is a bit more than just the edge of space imho though. I hope everything goes well. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>***</p> </div>

 

[mikejz]

$12 Mil for a sounding rocket...wow

 

[chebby]

Reaching the edge of space at 441 miles? That's pretty high up. Definitely not "just beyond the atmosphere".

 

[odysseus145]

The edge is closer to 60. That's a kind of discrepancy I'd expect from cnn. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[qzzq]

Everything went as planned! Congratulations to the Swedes. Amazing country. <br /><br />Again from the host site: <ul type="square">Swedes Launch Scientific Research Rocket <br /><br />STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- A Swedish Space Corp. sounding rocket successfully carried eight scientific experiments into the edge of space on Monday. The 50-foot Maxus 6 rocket blasted off from a launch pad in northern Sweden and soared to an altitude of 437 miles for about 14 minutes, the Swedish Space Corp. said. <br /><br />The 12.4 ton, single-stage rocket briefly carried eight microgravity experiments funded by the European Space Agency to the edge of space. The payload and the experiments then floated back to earth and were recovered by a helicopter.<br /><br />"It was a perfect flight. Everything worked as planned," SSC spokeswoman Johanna Bergstroem-Roos told The Associated press.<br /><br />...<br /><br />The microgravity environment gives researchers a unique opportunity to study the fundamental states of matter -- solids, liquids and gas -- and the forces that affect them. In microgravity, researchers can isolate and control the forces, giving researchers access to test results that haven't been influenced by earth's gravity.</ul>mikejz posted:--<i>$12 Mil for a sounding rocket...wow</i><br /><br />Yes, that isn't really expensive, but then again, it's only a small rocket. <br /><br />Here's a pdf presentation on Maxus 6. http://www.ssc.se/data/content/DOCUMENTS/2004111893315587press-kit_eng.pdf<br /><br />Maxus 7 is already scheduled to go up early 2006. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>***</p> </div>

 

[mikejz]

When I said $12 mill for a sounding rocket I ment that as an insult! That works out to almost $7,000/Lb for only a sub-orbital ride! That Falcon Rocket (assuming it ever flies) could put that payload into orbit for half of the cost of being thrown up and back down again.

 

[nacnud]

Yes, well maybe. Did the $12M include the cost of the payload or not?