The VLM (''Veículo Lançador de Microsatélites'') is a proposed three-stage satellite launcher being developed by the

Brazilian General Command for Aerospace Technology The Brazilian Department of Science and Aerospace Technology (; DCTA) is the national military research center for aviation and space flight. It is subordinated to the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). It coordinates all technical and scientific activiti ...

in collaboration with Germany. The project originated in 2008 as a simplified version of the

VLS-1 The ''VLS-1'' () was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle would have been capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center due to its proximity to th ...

rocket, using only the core stages. The first launch is currently planned for no earlier than October 2028 A version based on the S-50 rocket motor is being developed, with the objective of launching satellites of up to 150 kg into equatorial circular orbits at 300 km altitude.

VLM-1 description

The VLM-1 vehicle is designed to deliver up to to a 300 km equatorial circular orbit. VLM-1 is projected to have a total mass of , including 10 tons of propellant. The first two stages will use the S-50 solid fuel engine, with the third using the same S-44 engine as in the

VS-40 The VS-40 (''Foguete Suborbital VS-40'') is a Brazilian sounding rocket using solid fuel and stabilized aerodynamically. The original version, VS-40, uses the S-40TM (4,200 kg) first stage engine and the S-44M (810 kg) second stage eng ...

sounding rocket. * Stage 1: S-50 rocket motor * Stage 2: S-50 rocket motor * Stage 3: S-44 rocket motor Launches will be from the

Alcântara Launch Center Alcantara, Alcântara ( Portuguese), Alcántara (Spanish), Alcàntara, Alcàntera, El-Qantarah and (El) Kantara are all transliterations of the Arabic word ''al-qantara'' (القنطرة), meaning "the bridge". Alcantara may refer to: People * ...

, located at the equator. There are plans to expand this design into the VLX launcher family, by adding liquid fuel upper stages or strap-on boosters.

Development history

Development on VLM started in 2008 for the purpose of low-cost and reliable launch of microsatellites, based on existing Brazilian sounding rockets like the

and technology developed for the

project. Initially, a four-stage rocket using solid fuel was proposed, arranged in the following order: * Stage 1: S-43 rocket motor * Stage 2: S-40TM rocket motor * Stage 3: S-44 rocket motor * Stage 4: S-33 rocket motor

VS-50

In 2011 it was decided to build a precursor single-stage rocket bearing a new motor called S-50. The vehicle is being developed and its motor tested in collaboration with the

German Space Agency The German Aerospace Center (, abbreviated DLR, literally ''German Center for Air- and Space-flight'') is the national center for aerospace, energy and transportation research of Germany, founded in 1969. It is headquartered in Cologne with 3 ...

(DLR). This precursor test is called VS-50. The VS-50 vehicle measures long, in diameter, and has a mass of about 15 tons. All launches are planned to take place from the

, located on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast. On 1 October 2021, the Brazilian Space Agency successfully conducted the first full static fire test of the S-50 motor, lasting 84 seconds.

VLX family

When the VLM design and tests are completed to satisfaction, it is planned to develop a larger rocket family called VLX, targeting the delivery of payloads of between 300 and 500 kg to

low Earth orbit A low Earth orbit (LEO) is an geocentric orbit, orbit around Earth with a orbital period, period of 128 minutes or less (making at least 11.25 orbits per day) and an orbital eccentricity, eccentricity less than 0.25. Most of the artificial object ...

. The VLX family will include two launchers named Aquila 1 (for delivery of 300 kg to 500 km) and Aquila 2 (for delivery of 500 kg to 700 km into a polar orbit). An early concept calls for two lateral S-50 motor configured as

strap-on booster A booster is a rocket (or rocket engine) used either in the first stage of a multistage launch vehicle or in parallel with longer-burning sustainer rockets to augment the space vehicle's takeoff thrust and payload capability. Boosters are tra ...

s. A new liquid fuel engine, called L-75, is being designed for this launcher family. As of 2018, it was hoped that the maiden flight of Aquila 1 would take place in 2023, and that of Aquila 2 in 2026.

Planned versions

In the future, the L5 liquid fuel rocket engine will replace the solid 3rd stage engine. The configuration will be: * Stage 1: S-50 rocket motor * Stage 2: S-50 rocket motor * Stage 3: L5 rocket engine (to be developed)

Other possibilities

Brazilian researchers have studied the possibility of a cost-competitive launch system using S-50 motors in the first two stages and a set of liquid engines in the third stage. This system operating from the Alcântara Launch Center could insert satellites weighing up to 500 kg into polar orbits with a transport cost of approximately US$39,000 per kilogram of payload.

Proposed flights

The qualification flight is VLM-1 (or XVT-00).

References

External links

Home website of VLM-1
at the

Brazilian Space Agency The Brazilian Space Agency (; AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for the country's Space exploration, space program. It operates a spaceport at Centro de Lançamento de Alcântara, Alcântara, and a rocket launch site at Centro ...

* {{Commons category-inline Rockets and missiles Space launch vehicles of Brazil Expendable space launch systems Proposed space launch vehicles