During its seven minutes in microgravity, the rocket enabled research in fields such as advanced material science and biological studies on human cells. The payload, now awaiting recovery, will be retrieved by helicopter tomorrow to allow scientists to analyse the results of their experiments.
Lennart Poromaa, Head of Esrange Space Center, expressed pride in the milestone, highlighting the impact of international cooperation. “I am very proud of this milestone which shines a light on the many years of international collaboration at Esrange. This has been instrumental in achieving hundreds of successful rocket missions, providing invaluable access to space for scientists worldwide,” he said.
This mission was executed through a longstanding partnership between SSC and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The German team, DLR’s Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA), managed the rocket’s launch, while DLR’s Institute for Material Physics in Space oversaw the scientific payload.
Thomas Voigtmann, DLR Project Manager for the MAPHEUS campaigns, emphasised the strength of this collaboration, stating, “We are grateful for the many years of extremely productive collaboration, during which also the core teams from SSC and DLR have grown together. Thanks to their support, the MAPHEUS program has grown tremendously over the past 15 years, and we are looking forward to many more launches to come.”
