Rocket Mission

Student rockets REXUS-33 and -34 launched from Esrange

March 13, 2025

On 11 March at 10:15 AM (CET), the REXUS–33 student rocket was launched from Esrange Space Center. Two days later, on 13 March at 06:23 AM (CET), the REXUS–34 rocket was launched. The rockets carried a total of eight scientific research projects created by students representing universities from Germany, Romania, Hungary and Sweden.

After a period of preliminary design reviews, critical design review, building and testing their experiments all by themselves, integration and vibration tests, the student teams have now finally seen their projects launch to the skies. A variety of scientific research was represented onboard – for example, fluid research, material research and re-entry research.

“After 18 months of preparation by the students, it was fantastic to see all their scientific research launch to the skies on this beautiful winter morning. The teams will soon start evaluating their research data. I want to congratulate all students and colleagues involved in this campaign,” says Esmée Menting, SSC Program Manager of REXUS/BEXUS. 

The REXUS/BEXUS program is a Swedish-German educational sounding rocket program for university students, providing access to microgravity for the students’ experiments. The program allows students from universities and higher education colleges across Europe to carry out scientific and technological experiments on research rockets and balloons, and is realized under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Agency (SNSA). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European countries through a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).

Learn more at https://rexusbexus.net/  

See video footage of the launches at https://instagram.com/ssc_space/

For more information, please contact:
Philip Ohlsson, Press & PR, +46 (0) 707 21 70 26, philip.ohlsson@sscspace.com 

General information REXUS-33

Launch Site Esrange Space Center
Launch period 10 - 15 March, 2025
Launched 10.15 (CET), 11 March, 2025
Rocket type One stage solid
Rocket diameter 0.356 m
Rocket length 5.839 m
Max acceleration 18.1 g

Experiments onboard REXUS-33

SOLDERx (Romania) The experiment is studying the intricate structure of solder joints in microgravity within the realm of material science with the purpose of advancing space infrastructure. The goal is to determine the differences that appear when through-hole soldering is performed in a reduced gravity environment, and help with the advancement of material science in space.
WOBBLE2 (Germany) The experiment is a student mission to develop and demonstrate 3D-printed Propellant Management Device (PMD) for small satellite applications. The goal is to advance understanding of PMD technology and its applicability in future space missions to not only maintain stable fluid levels inside the tanks and a bubble free outlet stream, but also to identify the most effective design parameters like geometry and surface.
PERSIS (Germany) Photopolymeric Extrusion of Reinforced Structures In Space (PERSIS) is a solution for the increasing demand for large structural elements in the space industry. The goal is to investigate the extrusion of a photopolymer to manufacture different shaped profiles in space.

General information REXUS-34

Launch Site Esrange Space Center
Launch period 10 - 15 March, 2025
Launched 06.15 (CET), 13 March, 2025
Rocket type One stage solid
Rocket diameter 0.356 m
Rocket length 5.912 m
Max acceleration 17.5 g

Experiments onboard REXUS-34

SHAMA (Germany) The aim of the experiment Sustainable Heat-protective Ablative Material (SHAMA) is to test the feasibility and application of TPSea, a novel thermal protection material for heat shield applications developed at the Dresden University of Technology (TUD), under real environmental conditions. The goal is to evaluate the thermal protection and ablation capabilities of TPSea, as well as its structural integrity under actual atmospheric circumstances, specifically when mounted on the nose cone of REXUS. A significant step forward in the eco-design of space engineering with novel renewable materials, for a more sustainable space technology.
TELLER (Hungary) The experiment aims to expand the existing scientific knowledge of radiation exposure in LEO by assessing the energy, density, and directional patterns of ionizing radiation in the atmosphere and exploring their correlation with altitude. The goal is to measure the intensity and the energy distribution of the radiation field from the ground to the maximum altitude of the REXUS rocket.
FENRIR (Sweden) The experiment’s main focus is the development of an easy-to-use platform for future free-falling experiments that need to be ejected from sounding rockets. The goal is to develop a modular platform offering future students the opportunity to include their own scientific experiments as seen fit, thus lowering the threshold for reduced gravity research.
SLOSH (Germany) The experiment is designed to collect crucial data, necessary to validate and enhance Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations regarding the sloshing phenomenon. Sloshing is the dynamic movement of liquid propellants within a rocket's fuel tank during flight. The goal is to contribute valuable insights into the real behavior of fluids in a tank exposed to microgravity, thereby aiding in the validation and improvement of CFD simulations.
FINIX (Germany) Ferrofluid Implementations for Next-Generation Exploration (FINIX) is a project of the Small Satellite Student Society KSat e.V. aiming to investigate ferrofluid applications for the space sector based on existing heritage with this technology. The experiment will build on the findings of previous projects with two improved experiments: an electrical switch (ES) and a ferrofluid-based pump (FP). The goal is to investigate a new design approach that reduces wear and tear, which currently is a limiting factor for the lifetime of classic relays. For FP, to investigate a new design of Ferrofluid Pump and its functionality.

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