ASRI’s Successful Sounding Rocket Launch Campaign Captured on Video

UKZN’S Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) has released the official video of their successful 2024 Phoenix 1D and 1E sounding rocket launch campaign.

Footage of the successful launch can be viewed here.

The campaign coincided with the official opening of ASRI’s new suborbital sounding rocket launch facility.

The launch gantry was officially unveiled by the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, at the Denel Overberg Test Range in the Western Cape on 3 December, 2024. Funded by the DSTI, the facility is a first for South Africa and a landmark achievement in the advancement of aerospace technology and innovation in South Africa.

The new launch gantry has a state-of-the-art aiming and control system to allow the boom to rotate through 360 degrees in the horizontal plane, while also enabling elevation up to the vertical position. This permits pinpoint aiming accuracy in any direction and fast adjustment to account for factors like changes in wind direction on launch days.

Standing as tall as a six-story building when vertical, the boom can be lowered into the horizontal position during loading of the rocket on to the rail as well as for fitting of ground support systems to enable fuelling and the launch of the vehicle.

Director of ASRI Professor Mike Brooks says the facility is equipped for advanced rocket testing, propulsion system development and flight-testing new technologies. It also supports research in aerospace innovation, ensuring safe and efficient operations.

‘The facility is designed to enable suborbital sounding rocket missions into the high atmosphere and beyond into space,’ said Brooks. ‘Many countries use sounding rockets to conduct research related to atmospheric physics, radiation and magnetism in regions that are too high for balloons and too low for orbiting satellites.

‘Sounding rockets help advance our understanding of the Earth and its atmosphere but they are sizeable vehicles and need a purpose-built gantry from which to launch. The new facility makes it possible to launch ASRI’s smaller Phoenix hybrid rockets that reach a height of around 18km and are used for training young engineers, but it can also accommodate much larger commercial sounding rockets that achieve altitudes above 200km, which is well into space,’ he said.

ASRI envisions the facility as a cornerstone for advancing South Africa’s national priorities, including economic growth, job creation and skills development. By fostering innovation in aerospace technology, the facility will attract investment, stimulate local industries and open new markets. It is designed to create highly skilled jobs while offering training opportunities that equip the next generation of engineers and scientists. Through these efforts, the facility will contribute significantly to positioning South Africa as a global leader in space exploration and technological innovation.

Said Brooks: ‘Having a local facility from which to launch such rockets will act as a catalyst to bring rockets to South Africa for scientific missions. Importantly, it will also catalyse the local aerospace industry to develop a South African sounding rocket, as well as the payloads, onboard sensors and subsystems that go into these advanced machines. These activities will stimulate the South African’s aerospace industry, creating new economic opportunities for the local advanced manufacturing industry,’ said Brooks.

The newly launched facility was put through its paces, successfully launching the sounding rockets Phoenix-1D on the 2 December and Phoenix-1E on 4 December, 2024.

The rockets performed well during testing, reaching altitudes of 16,6km and 11,9km, respectively. One of the vehicles transmitted magnetometer data sampled during the flight back to the ground via a telemetry link, giving the South African National Space Agency scientists an additional method of sampling Earth’s magnetic field.

UKZN is among the top universities globally in terms of its ability to engineer high-performance hybrid rockets.

ASRI’s programme focuses on three key deliverables: the development of a commercial satellite launch capability in South Africa through flight test development; human capital development through the training of young aerospace engineers; and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) promotion among learners and the general public.

Words: Sally Frost

Photograph: Supplied