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Draft:MAPHEUS

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MAPHEUS is a sounding rocket programme run by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) since 2009 [1]. It is a research platform for experiments in weightlessness (microgravity) of the DLR Institute of Materials Physics in Space[2], the DLR Institute of Aerospace Medicine[3], and the DLR Mobile Rocket Basis MORABA. Each sub-orbital flight provides about 6 minutes of weightlessness conditions for research and technology development[4]. The launches take place at Esrange Space Center near Kiruna in northern Sweden.

MAPHEUS is one of the European microgravity-research rocket programs, similar in performance to programs of the German and European space agencies like TEXUS or MASER/SubOrbital Express that are financed by the German and European space agencies. It currently focuses on research from materials physics and life sciences, and also serves as a technology test platform for the development and qualification of new sounding rocket vehicles and service systems.

List of MAPHEUS launches

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name launch date vehicle apogee
MAPHEUS 1 May 22, 2009 Nike-Improved Orion 141km
MAPHEUS 2 Oct 27, 2010 Nike-Improved Orion 153km
MAPHEUS 3 Nov 25, 2012 Nike-Improved Orion 145km
MAPHEUS 4 Jul 15, 2013 Nike-Improved Orion 154km
MAPHEUS 5 Jun 30, 2015 VSB-30 253km
MAPHEUS 6 May 14, 2017 VSB-30 254km
MAPHEUS 7 Feb 17, 2018 S-31/Improved Mallemute 248km
MAPHEUS 8 Jun 13, 2019 VSB-30 238km
MAPHEUS 11 May 24, 2021 Improved Mallemute/Improved Mallemute 221km
MAPHEUS 10 Dec 6, 2021 Improved Mallemute/Improved Mallemute 259km
MAPHEUS 9 Jan 29, 2022 Improved Mallemute/Improved Mallemute 253km
MAPHEUS 12[5] Oct 21, 2022 Improved Mallemute/Improved Mallemute 258km
MAPHEUS 13[6] May 22, 2023 Improved Mallemute/Improved Mallemute 230km
MAPHEUS 14[7] Feb 27, 2024 RED KITE/Improved Mallemute 265km

MAPHEUS 1–4 (2009–2013)

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The first four launches of MAPHEUS were based on a two-stage Nike/Improved Orion vehicle, supporting payload with 14" diameter of around 190kg weight for flights up to around 150km height.

MAPHEUS 5–8 (2015–2019)

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With MAPHEUS 5, there was a switch to the VSB-30 two-stage vehicle and larger 17" payload, supporting heavier payloads for flights up to around 250km height. For MAPHEUS 7, the S-31 engine booster of the VSB-30 was combined with an Improved Malemute as the second stage.


MAPHEUS 9–13 (2021–2023)

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To establish an alternative to the VSB-30 vehicle, for which the rocket motors have to be shipped from Brazil to Sweden, after MAPHEUS 8 a switch was performed to a two-stage Imroved Malemute (IM-IM) vehicle. With this, altitudes of around 260km can be reached, at the cost of a slightly reduced payload mass compared to the VSB-30 vehicles, and at the cost of much higher maximum acceleration during the launch (up to 20g).

Due to restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and due to inavailability of the Skylark launcher on Esrange, the launches of MAPHEUS 9/10 were postponed to 2021/2022, and MAPHEUS 11 was launched in 2021 with a much reduced experiment team. All IM-IM launches for MAPHEUS used the MAN launcher on Esrange.

MAPHEUS 14– (2024–)

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The launch of MAPHEUS 14 saw the first production use of RED KITE, a new sounding rocket motor produced by Bayern-Chemie and developed in cooperation with German Aerospace Center.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "MAPHEUS - Materialforschung unter Schwerelosigkeit". German Aerospace Center. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  2. ^ "Institute of Materials Physics in Space, German Aerospace Center". Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  3. ^ "Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center". Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  4. ^ Kargl, Florian, ed. (2019). Materials and Life Science Experiments for the Sounding Rocket MAPHEUS. American Institute of Physics. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  5. ^ "Successful launch of MAPHEUS 12". German Aerospace Center. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  6. ^ "Höhenforschungsrakete MAPHEUS-13: Start in einen sonnigen Tag" (in German). German Aerospace Center. 2023-05-25. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  7. ^ "MAPHEUS 14 high-altitude research rocket takes flight". Space Daily. 2024-02-29. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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Category:Space science experiments Category:Sounding rockets of Germany