LET-DOWN
Back to drawing board for Phoenix-1B team as research craft comes crashing down
A PLANNED sounding rocket launch didn’t go off as planned after the craft fell to the ground and exploded seconds after lift-off.
The University of KwaZulu-Natal was testing out its Phoenix-1B hybrid sounding rocket yesterday, craft which contained specialised equipment used to measure various atmospheric conditions.
“Experts are investigating the cause to establish the nature of failure,” UKZN acting executive director for corporate relations Normah Zondo said of the test which was carried out at the Denel Overberg Test Range, in Arniston.
The director-general of the Department of Science and Technology Dr Phil Mjwara said R15 million was invested in the infrastructure and research of the programme at UKZN.
“The government recognised the key role it could play in space infrastructure. This was part of our National Space Agency strategy.”
The unsuccessful launch is not seen as too much of a deterrent as young people were encouraged to follow careers in the space arena.
Sounding rockets are used to provide information about Earth’s atmosphere, the sun and galaxies.
Through the programme, UKZN developed key expertise in the engineering disciplines of rocket propulsion technology, launch vehicle design and flight dynamics modelling.
The building of the rocket and its launch were undertaken as part of the university’s Phoenix Hybrid Sounding Rocket Programme, which seeks to develop a series of indigenous sounding rockets, to serve the needs of the South African and African scientific research communities.
Jean Pitot, from Aerospace Systems Research at UKZN, explained that sounding rockets usually carried scientific payloads, and return to Earth without being able to orbit.
“Nothing stays in space. It also supports experiments related to astronomy. The objective of our programme is to develop a series of sounding rockets that will be able to service the African scientific community. So far we have developed three sounding rockets,” he said.
Pitot said the team wanted to lead rocket propulsion in African academia.
The Department of Science and Technology explained that, internationally, sounding rockets have played, and continue to play, a crucial role in the facilitation of experiments in a wide variety of scientific disciplines, including biotechnology, astronomy, astrophysics, materials science and meteorology.
Experts are investigating the cause to establish the nature of the failure Normah Zondo UKZN