VLS-1
*Veículo Lançador de Satélites*
Size
VLS-1
Function	Orbital launch vehicle
Manufacturer	CTA
Country of origin	Brazil
Height	19.5 m (64 ft)
Diameter	1.01 m (3.3 ft)
Mass	50,700 kg (111,800 lb)
Stages	3
Capacity
Payload to low Earth orbit
Mass	380 kg (840 lb)

Launch history
Status	Cancelled^[1]
Launch sites	Alcântara VLS Pad
Total launches	2
Failure(s)	2
Notable outcome(s)	1 (pad explosion in 2003)
First flight	2 November 1997
Last flight	11 December 1999

Boosters – S-43
No. boosters	4
Powered by	1 solid rocket booster
Total thrust	303 kN (68,000 lbf)
Specific impulse	225 s (2.21 km/s)
Burn time	59 seconds
First stage – S-43TM
Powered by	1 solid rocket booster
Specific impulse	277 s (2.72 km/s)
Burn time	58 seconds
Second stage – S-40TM
Powered by	1 solid rocket booster
Specific impulse	275 s (2.70 km/s)
Burn time	56 seconds
Third stage – S-44
Powered by	1 solid rocket booster
Specific impulse	282 s (2.77 km/s)
Burn time	68 seconds

[edit on Wikidata]

The VLS-1 (Portuguese: Veículo Lançador de Satélites) was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle.^[2] The launch vehicle was to be capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center^[3] due to its proximity to the equator.

Associated vehicles include the Sonda I, Sonda II, Sonda III and Sonda IV, the VS-30, VS-40 and VSB-30.

The VLS was cancelled after decades of development and high expenditures with poor results and a failed association with Ukraine that slowed the program for years.^[4]^[1]

History

VLS-1 development started in 1984, after the first launch of the Sonda IV rocket. To date, three prototypes have been built and two launches attempted, departing from the Alcântara Launch Center. During the V1 and V2 prototype launches (VLS-1 V1 and VLS-1 V2) technical problems prevented mission success, but allowed the testing of several vehicle components. The V3 prototype exploded on the launch pad on 22 August 2003, two days before its intended launch date. The 2003 Alcântara VLS accident caused a considerable setback to the Brazilian space program. The V4 prototype was expected to be launched in 2016.^[5]

The project was terminated by Brazilian Space Agency in 2016.^[6]

The Departamento de Ciência e Tecnologia Aeroespacial (DCTA) (Department of Aerospace Science and Technology) and the Agência Espacial Brasileira (AEB) (Brazilian Space Agency) informed on public audience before the VLS-1 project ended by the Senado Federal (Federal Senate) on February 16, 2016.^{[citation needed]}

VLS-1 schedule

Initial flight test schedule

#	Vehicle	Payload	Date	Place	Result
1	VLS-R1	-	1985 December 1	CLA	Failure, apogee of 10 km.
2	VLS-R2	-	1989 May 18	CLA	Apogee of 50 km.
3	VLS-1 V1	SCD-2A	1997 November 2	CLA	in-flight failure
4	VLS-1 V2	SACI 2	1999 December 11	CLA	in-flight failure
5	VLS-1 V3	SATEC	2003	CLA	pad explosion on 2003 August 22

Final schedule

The V04 prototype was originally scheduled for launch in 2006. Further testing has resumed in 2008. The final VLS-1 schedule was as follows:^[7]

#	Vehicle	Payload	Date	Place	Result
1	mockup	electrical tests with a mockup rocket^[8]^[9]	2012	CLA	Success
2	VLS-1 XVT-01 VSISNAV	only first two stages active	2016	CLA	canceled
3	VLS-1 V-04	satellite launch	2018	CLA	canceled

VLS Configurations

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VLS-R1 test vehicle (1985)

The VLS-R1 test vehicle had two stages, arranged in the following configuration:

Stage 1 - four S-20 rocket engines
Stage 2 - one dummy S-20 rocket engine

VLS-R2 test vehicle (1989)

The VLS-R2 test vehicle had two stages, arranged in the following configuration:

Stage 1 - four S-20 rocket engines
Stage 2 - one S-20 rocket engine

VLS-XVI 01 sub-orbital test vehicle (2016, planned)

The VLS-XVI 01 sub-orbital test vehicle has three solid fuel rocket stages and boosters, arranged in the following configuration:

Stage 0 - four S-43 rocket engines
Stage 1 - one S-43TM rocket engine
Stage 2 - dummy S-40TM rocket engine
Stage 3 - dummy S-44 rocket engine

VLS-1 operational configuration (2018, planned)

The VLS-1 has three solid fuel rocket stages and boosters, arranged in the following configuration:

Stage 0 - four S-43 rocket engines
Stage 1 - one S-43TM rocket engine
Stage 2 - one S-40TM rocket engine
Stage 3 - one S-44 rocket engine

The rocket has four 400N RCS jets, located on the top of the third stage.

Developments

VLM

Main article: VLM (rocket)

The VLM (Veículo Lançador de Microssatélites) based on the S50 rocket engine is being studied, with the objective of orbiting satellites up to 150 kg in circular orbits ranging from 250 to 700 km. It will be a three-stage rocket, expected to launch the SHEFEX III mission by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in 2023.^[10]^[11]^[12]

"Cruzeiro do Sul" (Southern Cross) program

VLS Alfa

In the framework of the proposed Cruzeiro do Sul program,^[13] the VLS-1 rocket is the basis of the VLS Alfa project.

L5 rocket based configuration - three-stage rocket, with the upper stage being liquid-fuel, putting 200 to 400 kg satellites into low equatorial orbits:

Stage 0 - four S-43 rocket engines
Stage 1 - one S-43TM rocket engine
Stage 2 - one S-40TM rocket engine
Stage 3 - one L5 rocket engine^[7]

L75 rocket based configuration - two-stage rocket, with the upper stage being liquid-fuel, putting 500 kg satellites equatorial orbits up to 750 km:

Stage 0 - four S-43 rocket engines
Stage 1 - one S-43TM rocket engine
Stage 2 - one L75 rocket engine^[7]

#	Vehicle	Payload	Date	Place	Result
1	VLS Alfa XVT-01	-	2015	-	-
2	VLS Alfa XVT-02	-	2016	-	-
3	VLS Alfa V-01	-	2017	-	-
4	VLS Alfa V-02	SARA Orbital	2018	-	-
5	VLS Alfa V-03	-	2020	-	-

VLS Beta

The VLS Beta is another related project, intended to lift up to 800 kg payloads to an 800 km equatorial orbit. Its first flight was planned for 2020.^[14]^[15]

Three-stage rocket, with the upper two stages being liquid-fuel.

Stage 1 - one P40 solid rocket engine
Stage 2 - one L300 rocket engines^[16]
Stage 3 - one L75 rocket engine^[7]

Projected flights are:^[10]

#	Vehicle	Payload	Date	Place	Result
1	VLS Beta XVT-01	-	2018	-	-
2	VLS Beta XVT-02	-	2019	-	-
3	VLS Beta V-01	-	2020	-	-

VLS Gama

The VLS Gama is intended to carry up to 1000 kg payloads to an 800 km polar orbit. Three-stage liquid-fuel rocket.

VLS Delta

The VLS Delta is capable of placing 2000 kg payloads in a geostationary orbit. Three-stage liquid-fuel rocket (VLS BETA body) with two solid fuel boosters.

VLS Epsilon

The VLS Epsilon is capable of placing 4000 kg payloads in a geostationary orbit. Three-stage liquid-fuel rocket (VLS BETA body) with two liquid-fuel boosters.

Gallery

VLS-1 real size mockup
Engine
Engine test

References

External links

Brazilian space program

Science and technology in Brazil

Satellites

Programs	SCD CBERS SGDC-1 SGDC-2 Amazônia
In development	ASTER Flora Hiperspectral SABIA-Mar SARA LATTES GEOMET

Sounding
rockets

Active	Sonda VS-30 VSB-30 VS-40 Fogtrein
Canceled	VS-15

Launch
vehicles

In development	VLM VS-50
Canceled	VLS-1 ("Cruzeiro do Sul" launcher family) Tsyklon-4 (collaboration with Ukraine)

Launch sites

Organisation

Missions

International programs

Artemis Space Program (collaboration with the United States and 10 other countries)

Orbital launch systems

Orbital launch systems
List of orbital launch systems Comparison of orbital launch systems
Current	Angara 1.2 A5 Antares 230+ Ariane 5 Atlas V Ceres-1 Delta IV Heavy Electron Epsilon Falcon 9 Block 5 Falcon Heavy Firefly Alpha GSLV Mk II Mk III H-IIA H3^† Hyperbola-1 Jielong 1 3 Kaituozhe 2 Kuaizhou 1 1A 11 Lijian-1 Long March 2C 2D 2F 3A 3B/E 3C 4B 4C 5 5B 6 6A 7 7A 8 11 Minotaur I IV V C Nuri OS-M1^† Pegasus XL Proton-M PSLV Qased RS1^† Shavit 2 Simorgh^† SLS Block 1 Soyuz-2 2.1a / STA 2.1b / STB 2-1v SSLV Tianlong-2 Unha Vega original C Zenit 3SL 3SLB 3F Zhuque 1^† 2^†
In development	Amur Antares 330 Ariane 6 Bloostar Cyclone-4M Eris Hyperbola-2 Irtysh Kuaizhou 21 31 Long March 9 10 Miura 5 MLV Neutron New Glenn New Line 1 OS-M 2 4 Orbex Prime Pallas-1 Qaem-100 Red Dwarf SLS Block 1B Block 2 Soyuz-7 Starship Terran R Vega E Vulcan Zero Zuljanah
Retired	Antares 110 120 130^† 230 Ariane 1 2 3 4 ASLV Athena I II Atlas B D E/F G H I II III LV-3B SLV-3 Able Agena Centaur Black Arrow Conestoga^† Delta A B C D E G J L M N 0100 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 II III IV Diamant Dnepr Energia Europa^† Falcon 1 Falcon 9 v1.0 v1.1 v1.2 "Full Thrust" Feng Bao 1 GSLV Mk I H-I H-II H-IIB Juno I Juno II Kaituozhe-1 Kosmos original 1 2/2I 3 3M Lambda 4S LauncherOne Long March 1 1D^† 2A 2E 3 3B 4A Mu 4S 3C 3H 3S 3SII V N1^† N-I N-II Naro-1 Paektusan^† Pilot-2^† R-7 Luna Molniya M L Polyot Soyuz original FG L M U U2 Soyuz/Vostok Sputnik Voskhod Vostok L K 2 2M R-29 Shtil' Volna^† Rocket 3 Safir 1 1A 1B Saturn I IB V Scout X-1 Blue Scout II^† X-2^† X-2M X-3 X-3M X-4 X-2B^† B A B-1 D-1 A-1 E-1 F-1 G-1 Shavit original 1 SLV Space Shuttle SPARK^† Sparta SS-520 Start-1 Terran 1^† Thor Able Ablestar 1 2 Agena A B D Burner 1 2 Delta DSV-2U Thorad-Agena SLV-2G SLV-2H Titan II GLV IIIA IIIB IIIC IIID IIIE 34D 23G CT-3 IV Tsyklon R-36-O original 2 3 Universal Rocket UR-500 Proton Proton-K Rokot Strela Vanguard VLS-1^† Zenit 2 2M 2FG
Classes	Sounding rocket Small-lift launch vehicle Medium-lift launch vehicle Heavy-lift launch vehicle Super heavy-lift launch vehicle
This Template lists historical, current, and future space rockets that at least once attempted (but not necessarily succeeded in) an orbital launch or that are planned to attempt such a launch in the future Symbol ^† indicates past or current rockets that attempted orbital launches but never succeeded (never did or has yet to perform a successful orbital launch)