A Polish rocket that uses a pioneering type of environmentally friendly fuel has reached space for the first time.
Taking off from the Andoya base in Norway on July 3 and travelling at a speed of up to 1.4 km per second, the ILR-33 Ambert 2K rocket passed an altitude of 100 km, which marked the boundary of space.
It is the world’s first rocket to use 98% hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizer. That substance is “one of the most ecological propellants” available, says Pawel Stezycki, director of the Institute of Aviation in Warsaw that is behind the Amber rocket project.
The institute believes that hydrogen peroxide can replace the hydrazine currently used in the space industry, which has a very high toxicity.
“With this project and the technologies used in it, we want to prove to the world that elements of sustainable, ecological transport are possible in space,” added Stezycki.
Having achieved their breakthrough first space flight, the institute now plans to carry out further work on the project with the ultimate aim of being able to use the rocket to carry payloads into space.
Among the potential uses for the rocket is facilitating scientific experiments in space. Thorium Space Technologies, a Polish firm, is planning to use the rocket over the coming years.
More broadly, the Institute of Aviation and the Polish Space Agency (POLSA), which co-funded the project, saw it as a means of developing and demonstrating Poland’s expertise in space technology.
This can serve domestic economic and military purposes, as well as allow Polish engineers to play a greater role in international projects.
“The competences and experience of Polish engineers in rocket design are currently the starting point allowing not only for participation in programmes for the development of large space rockets, but also for involvement in the implementation of projects for the needs of the Polish armed forces,” said POLSA vice president Michal Wiercinski.
The Institute of Aviation says that its work on the Amber project has already “enabled the involvement of Polish consortiums in a number of international rocket projects of the European Space Agency, the European Defence Agency and the European Defence Fund”.
Poland’s Ministry of Science and higher education also celebrated the successful launch as “an important moment for the Polish space industry and the entire sector related to the use of space”. (Notes from Poland)