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The rest of the BIGOS 4 rocket was made by SpaceForest. This took place on November 25th. Everything went well – the rocket flew 15 km in 50 seconds from the beginning, developing a maximum speed of 2 Ma (1 mach equals about 1220 km per hour).
The BIGOS 4 rocket passed a successful test
The test was to check, among other things, how the rocket would handle a supersonic flight and what the communication would look like under such conditions.
– The end of the 15 km, although it is not a limitation in terms of the achievements of the BIGOS 4 rocket, is currently the maximum limit set on the Drawsko training ground for safety reasons. However, it is sufficient to develop a supersonic speed and to test the aerodynamic properties of a rocket under very thin conditions. The test also allowed us to confirm previous calculations regarding the amount of fuel that should have been refueled, so that this cap does not exceed. We are pleased to have been able to verify our assumptions with great precision – says Robert Magiera, president of SpaceForest.
Here is what the flight looked like:
There is another important problem. BIGOS 4 is ready to be a multipurpose rocket – according to the latest "trends" in the space sector, initiated by Elon Muska and his company SpaceX. The Polish rocket can be fired again up to 72 hours after the previous start.
– As for the first test, we recovered all the elements of the rocket under appropriate conditions for the next flight. It is also extremely important that, as part of the preparation for the start, we were able to complete the refueling procedure after placing it on the launcher. Because such a procedure is required by the support of the port, among others in Sweden or Norway, it is essential to be able to test their use for commercial purposes – says Robert Magiera.
This first test was held on November 2 at Gdynia Babie Doły airport. However, it was a short flight, on a low plane – up to 1,000 meters. On Sunday, BIGOS flew at the maximum height allowed.
First BIGOS then PERUN
BIGOS 4 measures 5.5 meters high and a little over 20 cm in diameter. The rocket itself weighs 65 km, but its initial mass is 100 km (including fuel). It is actually a PERUN rocket prototype, supposed to be an inexpensive suborbital rocket (called SIR or inexpensive suborbital rocket). PERUNA will build SpaceForest as part of a project co-financed by the National Research and Development Center. In this context, the first Polish rocket capable of transporting 50 kg of freight at a height of 150 km must be created. It will be twice as big as the BIGOS 4 rocket it is currently testing.
As its name indicates, PERUN will not fly in space. What is the purpose of building such a rocket?
– The PERUN rocket will be able to offer a cost-effective platform for research in the microgravity environment. Designed to provide high performance at very low operating costs, it can become an attractive business choice for customers in the Polish and overseas markets, offering the lowest prices for this type of service in the world, says Robert Magiera.
November with Poland in the space
In recent days, a lot of things are happening in the Polish space industry. On November 26, the InSight spacecraft landed on Mars, conducting planetary seismic searches and drilling at a depth of 5 meters. For the first time, people will dive deeper into the surface of Mars. The drive mechanism of the device that will direct these drilling – it is the "HP3 hole" – was created by the Astronika poles.
We are also waiting for the launch of two Polish satellites, PW-Sat2, built by students from Warsaw Polytechnic and Finnish-Polish ICE-X2. These satellites are recommended on the Falcon 9 rocket, owned by SpaceX. The take-off of the Vandenberg military base in California has been duplicated twice due to adverse conditions. Originally, this was scheduled to take place on November 19th, and today, November 28th. SpaceX has not yet given a new date.
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