HEAT 1X Tycho Brahe was the first rocket and spacecraft combination built by

Copenhagen Suborbitals Copenhagen Suborbitals is an amateur, crowd-funded, and open-source human space program. Since its beginning in 2008, Copenhagen Suborbitals has flown five home-built rockets and two mock-up space capsules. Their stated goal is to have one of th ...

, a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

organization attempting to perform the first amateur suborbital human spaceflight. The vehicle consisted of a motor named HEAT-1X and a spacecraft Tycho Brahe. Its launch location was a floating platform named Sputnik. The rocket was test launched twice: In 2010 a power shortage caused a valve to freeze shut, which prevented launch. In 2011 the rocket was successfully launched, reaching an altitude of before the engine was remotely shut off due to a wrong trajectory.

Micro Spacecraft Tycho Brahe

The Micro Spacecraft (MSC) had a steel pressure hull, and room for one passenger designed and built by Kristian von Bengtson who co-founded

. The passenger was able to view the outside through a

perspex Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite ...

dome. The occupant flew in a half-standing/half-sitting position, in order to decrease the diameter of the spacecraft. The passenger sat in a specially designed seat, and would have worn anti-G trousers to avoid blackout. The heat shield was made of floor cork. Life support would have consisted of a diving rebreather derived CO₂ scrubber and breathing O₂ system. Another compartment contained both the high-speed drogue parachute and the low-speed main parachutes for deceleration. The sheer volume of the MSC provided the buoyancy in the water. Pressurized nitrogen would have been used for attitude control. The attitude thrusters were part of the non-pressurized volume of the spacecraft. The first MSC was christened "Tycho Brahe 1" and its first flight was uncrewed using a

crash test dummy A crash test dummy, or simply dummy, is a full-scale anthropomorphic test device (ATD) that simulates the dimensions, weight proportions and articulation of the human body during a traffic collision. Dummies are used by researchers, automobile ...

. The human-rated Tycho Brahe would have maintained the 640-mm diameter. The ship was named after

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was ...

, a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive planetary and other astronomical observations, such as the 1572 supernova.

The rocket HEAT 1X

Copenhagen Suborbitals HEAT 1X Tycho Brahe in flight 20110603

Copenhagen Suborbitals HEAT-1X test bed 1

The actual rocket development resulted in numerous successful tests of the solid fuel epoxy and the liquid oxidizer

nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or nos, is a chemical compound, an oxide of nitrogen with the formula . At room temperature, it is a colourless non-flammable gas, and has ...

, which was used in their

hybrid rocket A hybrid-propellant rocket is a rocket with a rocket motor that uses rocket propellants in two different phases: one solid and the other either gas or liquid. The hybrid rocket concept can be traced back to the early 1930s. Hybrid rockets avo ...

HATV (''Hybrid Atmospheric Test Vehicle''). The HATV rocket was only 1/3 size of the final rocket, HEAT.http://copenhagensuborbitals.com/ Copenhagen Suborbitals homepage. Retrieved 9 February 2010. This HEAT rocket (''Hybrid Exo Atmospheric Transporter'') with

liquid oxygen Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an app ...

and

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethane is produced from ...

, would carry the MSC (''the micro-spacecraft'') above the 100 km boundary and into space. The MSC was named after Tycho Brahe, and the combination was known as the HEAT-1X TYCHO BRAHE.

Gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

would then pull the MSC back to the atmosphere, where the MSC landed on water using parachutes. The first HATV rocket was tested in a test stand on 8 March 2009. Originally HEAT was to have been fueled with

paraffin wax Paraffin wax (or petroleum wax) is a soft colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil shale that consists of a mixture of hydrocarbon molecules containing between 20 and 40 carbon atoms. It is solid at room temperature and begins to ...

but a ground test 28 February 2010 revealed that some of the paraffin wax only partially melted, instead of evaporating. The result was that HEAT-1X had less power than expected. A ground test firing of HEAT-1X-P (P for polyurethane) was conducted 16 May 2010. Stabilization of the rocket was by

rolleron A rolleron is a type of aileron used for rockets and used to provide passive stabilization against rotation. While most commonly used to stablize against roll, it can also be used for counteracting yaw and pitch as well. In the early 1950s, th ...

s, a rather simple mechanism also used by missiles.

Static rocket engine tests

Rocket

Texan Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

Ben Brockert, rocket builder of

Armadillo Aerospace Armadillo Aerospace was an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal was to build a crewed suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, and it had also stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company ...

and formerly of

Masten Space Systems Masten Space Systems was an aerospace manufacturer startup company in Mojave, California (formerly in Santa Clara, California) that was developing a line of vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets, initially for uncrewed research sub- ...

, prefers the

in HEAT-1X over the

Virgin Galactic Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson and his British Virgin Group retains an 11.9% stake through Virgin Investments Limited. It is headquartered in California, and operates from New Mexico. The compan ...

's rockets.Jensen, Mette Buck
Rocket safety
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. The first version of the HEAT hybrid rocket booster, was built from ordinary construction steel, with the exception of the cryogenic liquid oxygen tank, which was made of AISI 304 stainless steel. The fuel was a polyurethane synthetic rubber, and the oxidizer was liquid oxygen. The oxygen was pressurized with helium gas. The booster could be (and was) shut down by radio signal from earth. Total cost was around $50,000. Lead-acid batteries were used as weight was not an issue on first launch, and proven robustness were deemed more important the low weight of

LiPo A lithium polymer battery, or more correctly lithium-ion polymer battery (abbreviated as LiPo, LIP, Li-poly, lithium-poly and others), is a rechargeable battery of lithium-ion technology using a polymer electrolyte instead of a liquid electrolyt ...

. Four 12V 7 Ah batteries were divided into two banks; two in parallel supplying 12V circuits redundantly, and two in series for the 24V Weibel radar transponderNyboe, Flemming
Construction pictures
''Ing.dk'', 2 August 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. sending to a Continuous Wave

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...

on the deck of Hjortø. The combination of transmitter and radar meant that several objects could be tracked in motion as well as being stationary. The budget did not allow for an inertial measurement unit to compensate for ship movement, but an infrared camera on the radar allowed operators to track the rocket.Djursing, Thomas
Mission depends on radar
''Ing.dk'', 4 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010.

Offshore launch attempts

The permission to launch was given by Danish authorities, but the first option, the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea, epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the ...

, was a possibility that the Danish Civil Aviation Administration (''Statens Luftfartsvæsen'') opened, but it was rejected in 2009 by the Danish Maritime Authority (''Søfartsstyrelsen''). They preferred another area and then gave a formal and written permission to launch from a

firing range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, venue or field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or competitions. Some shooting ranges are operated by militar ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

. Launches have been performed from a platform built for the purpose.

2010

The first full-scale test-launch to was planned to be off the coast of Bornholm sometime between 30 August and 13 September 2010 depending on the weather. The launch carried a crash test dummy "Rescue Randy" instead of a human pilot, since crewed flight is still some years away. Success criterion was stated to be completing the sea voyage and counting down - launch and recovery being bonuses.Andersen, Kasper Brøndgaard
Experienced rocket builder doubts success
''Ing.dk'' (Danish), 31 August 2010. Retrieved: 31 August 2010. On Tuesday 31 August 2010, the UC3 Nautilus pushed the launch platform Sputnik carrying the rocket and spacecraft from Copenhagen towards the launch area near

Nexø Nexø, sometimes spelled Neksø ( sv, Nexö), is a town on the east coast of the Baltic Baltic may refer to: Peoples and languages *Baltic languages, a subfamily of Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, Latvian and extinct Old Pruss ...

, Bornholm.Jensen, Mette Buck
Reaching Nexø
''Ing.dk'' (Danish), 1 September 2010. Retrieved: 1 September 2010
Pictures
A launch attempt was made on Sunday 5 September 2010 14:43

CET CET or cet may refer to: Places * Cet, Albania * Cet, standard astronomical abbreviation for the constellation Cetus * Colchester Town railway station (National Rail code CET), in Colchester, England Arts, entertainment, and media * Comcast En ...

, 12 UTC+02:00,
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. but this was a failure due to a stuck liquid oxygen, LOX valve. A test flight was attempted on 5 September 2010, using the HEAT-1X rocket. The vehicle on board launch platform Sputnik, sometimes pushed by homebuilt submarine UC3 Nautilus and sometimes towed by M/V Flora, moved from Copenhagen on Tuesday 31 August 2010Bengtsson, Madsen, Foldager
From Copenhagen to Nexø
''Ing.dk'', 31 August 2010. Retrieved: 2 September 2010. to

on Wednesday 1 September 2010.Bengtsson & Madsen
Calm before the storm
''Ing.dk'', 2 September 2010. Retrieved: 2 September 2010. Launch was initiated Sunday 5 September 2010 from Home Guard vessel Hjortø at co-ordinates: The oxygen tank was filled, and the rocket was nearing launch.Jensen, Mette Buck
Launch within 45 minutes
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. First attempt did not fire, attention was focused around oxygen valve and electronics.Jensen, Mette Buck
Rocket didn't fly
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. The oxygen valve jammed. It had not been tested, the previous one was stolen along with the oxygen tank at the construction yard in June 2010.Jensen, Mette Buck
Fateful theft ruins launch
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. The next launch attempt was pushed to June 2011, beyond the launch window ending 17 September 2010, because the rocket might have needed to be taken apart to check the LOX valve, and ignition rods and LOX needed to be replaced.Djursing, Thomas
Distant prospect of next launch
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010. Power to the hairdryer was supplied by Nautilus until the platform was evacuated, but the 20 minutes from then to launch drained the batteries and left the LOX valve unheated so it froze.Djursing, Thomas
Powerless hairdryer stopped rocket
''Ing.dk'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved: 5 September 2010.

2011

The new launch attempt was on 3 June 2011. Hjortø was once again used for Mission Control. The submarine was left behind as the Sputnik had been outfitted with its own diesel engines during the winter 2010–11. After again experiencing a technical problem with the auto-sequence, the rocket and spacecraft went up in the air. After lift-off, HEAT 1X Tycho Brahe achieved supersonic speed but its flight path deviated from the vertical, so Mission Control had to shut the engine off after 21 seconds. Maximum altitude was estimated to 2.8 km and the

ground track A ground track or ground trace is the path on the surface of a planet directly below an aircraft's or satellite's trajectory. In the case of satellites, it is also known as a suborbital track, and is the vertical projection of the satellite's ...

was 8.5 km. Booster and spacecraft separated but a parachute was torn off the booster due to excessive air drag. Tycho Brahe's parachutes didn't unfold correctly either, so the spacecraft received a large bulge at the 26 G impact. It is reported that it was water-filled when it was salvaged. The booster sank to a depth of 80–90 meters in the Baltic Sea A film of the launch from the pilot's point of view has been released.

Goal

A crewed launch was at the time estimated to be 3–5 years away, but if successful, Denmark would be the 4th nation to launch humans into

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...

, after the USSR (Russia), USA, and China.Danish Volunteers Build Manned Spacecraft
Retrieved 25 August 2010

In November 2010, an experimental liquid rocket engine called XLR-3B exploded during its 12th ground test. A similar liquid rocket named TM-65 Tordenskjold (''Thunder Shield''), after the Dano–Norwegian naval hero

Peter Tordenskjold Peter Jansen Wessel Tordenskiold (28 October 1690 – 12 November 1720), commonly referred to as Tordenskjold (), was a Norwegian nobleman and flag officer who spent his career in the service of the Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy. He rose to the ran ...

, with thrust was constructed.,Andersen, Kasper Brøndgaard
Liquid rocket exploded
(in Danish) ''Ing.dk'', 22 November 2010
Video
Retrieved: 22 November 2010. however this design failed and caused a fire during its final static test in 2014. As of December 2014, work on a third design concept is underway at

,http://copsub.com/ Copenhagen Suborbitals homepage. Retrieved 6 December 2014. while an alternative program more similar to HEAT-1X has been started by the original designer Peter Madsenhttp://raketmadsen.dk/ Raketmadsen support community homepage. Retrieved 6 December 2014.

Micro Spacecraft Tycho Brahe

The rocket HEAT 1X

Static rocket engine tests

Rocket

Offshore launch attempts

2010

2011

Goal

Related

See also

References

External links