SCRAMSPACE Team Awaits Further Information on Launch

Hello reader!

It follows one note published on the day (09/19), in the website of “The University of Queensland”, announcing that "SCRAMSPACE Team" awaits Further Information on launch

Duda Falcão

UQ News

SCRAMSPACE Team Awaits Further

Information on Launch

19 September 2013

The SCRAMSPACE research team is awaiting the outcomes of an investigation by the Andøya Rocket Range on the unsuccessful launch of the research experiment.

SCRAMSPACE Director and University of Queensland Hypersonics Chair Professor Russell Boyce said the most important factor was that people were safe, and both first and second stages of the rocket and the payload had landed in the sea. 

“The range has assured us that everyone is safe, no one has been hurt and no one is in danger, which is the most important thing,” Professor Boyce said.

“But the launch did not go as expected.

“The rocket carrying the scramjet launched at 3pm (Norwegian time, 11pm Brisbane time), however the payload failed to achieve the correct altitude to begin the scientific experiment as planned.

“The SCRAMSPACE payload, according to our data, was operating perfectly and performed extremely well before and during the launch, and we received telemetry data all the way into the water.

“Unfortunately the failed launch meant we could not carry out the experiment as planned.”

“The team is very disappointed. The project represents a lot of time, effort and money by a committed consortium of partners and sponsors.”

Professor Boyce said the launch was just the final part of a three-year project that had achieved much of what it set out to achieve.

“We set out to create a highly skilled talent pool of scientists, engineers and researchers, and to establish international credibility. We have done both of these in spades,” he said.

“The team can be immensely proud of what they achieved to this point.”

However, he said the team was keen to hear the outcomes of the range's investigation into the cause.

“As with all launches, there is a risk that something will go wrong. Unfortunately for the SCRAMSPACE team, something went wrong, and we are looking forward to hearing from the range on what happened,” Professor Boyce said.

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and UQ are working with the Andøya Rocket Range and DLR to gather as much information as possible to determine the source of the problem.

Source: Website of The University of Queensland - http://www.uq.edu.au/

Comentário: Bom leitor, diante dessa nova nota da Universidade de Queensland (UQ), tudo nos leva a acreditar que infelizmente houve uma falha no foguete, pois o mesmo não atingiu a altitude correta para dar início ao experimento como estava planejado. Ora, das três uma, ou falhou o “Motor-Foguete Brasileiro VS-30” do primeiro estágio, ou falhou o “Motor-Foguete Norte Americano Improved Orion” do segundo estágio (motores que compõem o foguete VS-30/Orion utilizado nessa missão), ou então falhou ambos os motores. Seja como for, esse resultado não é nada bom para a imagem internacional dos foguetes brasileiros, principalmente se levarmos em conta que no ano passado um outro foguete VS-30/Orion, curiosamente em outro projeto hipersônico com envolvimento australiano (Operação HIFIRE-5) também falhou, apesar da falha ter sido atribuída ao segundo estágio do foguete operado pelo motor americano Improved Orion e de ter sido constato o perfeito funcionamento do primeiro estágio do foguete, esse operado pelo motor brasileiro. Vamos aguardar as investigações para saber de quem foi à culpa dessa vez, e torcer para que a bola da vez seja novamente atribuída aos americanos. No entanto, uma coisa é certa, a boa imagem do VS-30/Orion está seriamente abalada.