600th rocket launched from Esrange

Press Release

600th rocket launched from Esrange

November 11, 2024

Today, at 08.38 UTC, the Swedish space industry reached an impressive milestone as the 600^th suborbital rocket, MAPHEUS-15, was launched from SSC’s spaceport Esrange Space Center in Kiruna. The science rocket reached an altitude of 309 km carrying a payload containing 21 different experiments.

The payload featured a wide range of scientific disciplines which were conducted during 7 minutes of microgravity, for example, advanced material science and biological research on human cells. The payload will be recovered by helicopter tomorrow.

“I am very proud of this milestone which shines a light on the many years of international collaboration at Esrange. This has been instrumental in achieving hundreds of successful rocket missions, providing invaluable access to space for scientists worldwide,” says Lennart Poromaa, Head of Esrange Space Center.

Years of Swedish-German collaboration
This campaign was successfully conducted in a joint partnership between SSC and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The launch was conducted by DLR’s Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) and the scientific payload was managed by DLR’s institute for Material Physics in Space.

“We are grateful for the many years of extremely productive collaboration, during which also the core teams from SSC and DLR have grown together. Thanks to their support, the MAPHEUS program has grown tremendously over the past 15 years, and we are looking forward to many more launches to come,” says Thomas Voigtmann, DLR Project Manager for the MAPHEUS campaigns.

Contact: Philip Ohlsson, Head of PR & Press, +46 70 721 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com

General information MAPHEUS 15

Location	Esrange Space Center
Launch Site	The Skylark Tower
Campaign period	27 October - 15 November 2024
Launch period	6 - 14 November 2024
Launched	08.38 (UTC), 11 November 2024
Rocket type	Two-stage RK-IM (Red Kite and Improved Malemute motor combination)
Experiments onboard (payload)	21 including piggybacks
Rocket length	11,5 m
Total mass	2 271 kg
Payload mass	378 kg
Apogeum	309 km
Campaign partners	DLR, DLR MORABA, SSC and participating science teams.
Project managers	SSC: Elin Lundqvist DLR: Thomas Voigtmann DLR MORABA: Alexander Kallenbach

Experiments onboard

NyMex	The experiment aims to investigate the influence of gravity on membrane fluidity using fluorescence polarization measurements on giant unilamellar visicles. Conducted with a new optical setup and improved hardware, it will build on previous findings from nano-scale lipid vesicle studies (MemEx) and assesses membrane fluidity and permeability using fluorescence polarization analysis.
SVALIN-2	The experiment aims to investigate electrical characterization of novel material solar cells in space. The main objective is to monitor the I-V characteristics of organic, perovskite, and quantum dot thin-film solar cells in a stabilized rocket orientation and therefore calibrated illumination during micro-gravity.
MOSAIC-A	MOSAIC-A (Micro-Experiments On Sounding Rockets As Insert Cubes) is a shared module designed for several compactly designed (100mm) cubes. It contains five individual experiments: FORMAGGI, DEIMOS-A, SENSAITION, MiniWeed, and Space o Clock.
MOSAIC-B	MOSAIC-B (Micro-Experiments On Sounding Rockets As Insert Cubes) is a shared module designed for several compactly designed (100mm) cubes. It contains six individual experiments: DEIMOS-B, MiniPlax, Gastronaut-01, TEGonaut, RESITEK, and REVTEX.
MARS	The experiment aims to investigate how to develop and employ laser-based powder bed fusion technology for manufacturing metallic parts in space. This technology addresses the challenge of powder handling in microgravity and aims to support long-term space missions beyond low Earth orbit by enabling in-space manufacturing (ISM) and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU).
COSMO	Collaborative Science Module for MORABA internal experiments, with the purpose to proof the flightworthiness of certain components. It is developed by and for MORABA.
VIBAQ	MORABA experiment to measure vibration, pressure and temperature during the flight.
GASFEX	In an effort to provide a low-cost entry for flight experiments for universities, this experiment aims to demonstrate feasibility and gather data for hypersonic research. Featuring standalone data acquisition, pressure sensors, and thermocouples, the measurements will support heat transfer studies and the development of a Flush Air Data System.
ARTEC	ARTEC (AeRogel TEchnology for Cast alloys) aims to enable directional solidification experiments under high cooling rates with cast alloys, facilitating both rapid freezing of samples and a better theoretical understanding of how sudden changes in solidification velocity influence microstructure formation.

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