Alcantara
Alcantara
Credit - © Mark Wade
Type: Orbital Launch Site. Operator: Brazil. Country: Brazil. Latitude: 2°17' S. Longitude: 44°23' W. Minimum Inclination: 2.0 degrees. Maximum Inclination: 100.0 degrees.

Sounding rocket and orbital launch site. In use from 19 August 1994 to present. Launch complex for Brazil's indigenous VLS orbital booster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Launch Pads
  • Name: VLS pad. Latitude: 2.2800 S. Longitude: 44.3800 W. Launch Pads: 1. VLS.
Alcantara
Credit - © Mark Wade
Alcantara Chronology and Launch Log
  • 1990 February 21 - Alcantara Ionosphere mission? Launch Vehicle: Sonda 2. Sonda 2 XV-53 Apogee: 101 km (62 mi).

  • 1990 November 26 - Manival Ionosphere mission? Launch Vehicle: Sonda 2. Sonda 2 XV-54 Apogee: 91 km (56 mi).

  • 1991 December 9 - Aguas Belas Ionosphere mission? Launch Vehicle: Sonda 2. Sonda 2 XV-55 Apogee: 88 km (54 mi).

  • 1992 June 1 02:52 - Aeronomy mission Launch Vehicle: Sonda 3. Sonda 3 XV-24 Apogee: 282 km (175 mi).

  • 1992 October 31 - Ponta de Areia Ionosphere mission? Launch Vehicle: Sonda 2. Sonda 2 XV-56 Apogee: 32 km (19 mi).

  • 1993 March 22 - Maruda Ionosphere mission? Launch Vehicle: Sonda 2. Sonda 2 XV-57 Apogee: 102 km (63 mi).

  • 1993 April 2 10:34 - Test mission Launch Vehicle: VS-40. VS-40 PT-01 Apogee: 950 km (590 mi).

  • 1994 August 19 15:08 - MALTED/CADRE Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Orion. Nike Orion NASA 31.102GE Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).

  • 1994 August 20 02:18 - MALTED/CADRE Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Orion. Nike Orion NASA 31.103GE Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).

  • 1994 August 24 13:45 - MALTED/CADRE Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Orion. Nike Orion NASA 31.105GE Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).

  • 1994 August 25 01:43 - MALTED/CADRE Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Orion. Nike Orion NASA 31.104GE Apogee: 140 km (80 mi).

  • 1994 September 9 13:33 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant VC NASA 21.110GE Apogee: 250 km (150 mi).

  • 1994 September 21 13:56 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant VC NASA 21.111GE Apogee: 250 km (150 mi).

  • 1994 September 23 21:15 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Nike Tomahawk NASA 18.226UE Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).

  • 1994 September 23 21:17 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Nike Tomahawk NASA 18.225UE Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).

  • 1994 September 24 21:17 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Nike Tomahawk NASA 18.227UE Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).

  • 1994 September 24 21:15 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Nike Tomahawk. Nike Tomahawk NASA 18.228UE Apogee: 270 km (160 mi).

  • 1994 October 6 13:22 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Failure. Black Brant VC NASA 21.112GE Apogee: 250 km (150 mi).

  • 1994 October 14 22:25 - Guara H.Alt Spread F Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant X NASA 35.030IE Apogee: 956 km (594 mi).

  • 1994 October 15 13:41 - Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: Black Brant. Black Brant VC NASA 21.113GE Apogee: 250 km (150 mi).

  • 1997 April 28 16:42 - DLR AL-VS30-223 Test mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30. VS-30 XV-01 Apogee: 128 km (79 mi).

  • 1997 November 2 12:25 - SCD-2A Launch Vehicle: VLS. Destroyed during launch.. VLS-1 V01 LC: VLS. Apogee: 3.00 km (1.80 mi). The SCD-2A (Data Collection Satellite 2A) was a Brazilian satellite designed for the collection of meteorological data relayed by data collection platforms spread throughout the Brazilian territory.

  • 1998 March 21 - Test mission Launch Vehicle: VS-40. Apogee: 900 km (550 mi).

  • 1999 March 15 09:52 - Operacao San Marcos Microgravity mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30. VS-30 XV-04 Apogee: 128 km (79 mi).

  • 1999 December 11 18:25 - SACI-2 Launch Vehicle: VLS. Second stage failed to ignite; destroyed by range safety.. VLS-1 V02 LC: VLS. Apogee: 10 km (6 mi). Second attempted launch of Brazil's indigenous launcher.

  • 2000 February 6 16:37 - Lencois Maranhenses Microgravity mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30. VS-30 XV-05 Apogee: 148 km (91 mi).

  • 2000 August 21 20:14 - Baronesa Microgravity mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30/Orion. VS-30/Orion XV-01 Apogee: 315 km (195 mi).

  • 2002 November 23 22:18 - Piraperna Ionosphere mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30/Orion. VS-30/Orion XV-02 Apogee: 434 km (269 mi).

  • 2002 December 1 12:33 - Cuma Microgravity mission Launch Vehicle: VS-30. Failure. VS-30 XV-06 Apogee: 145 km (90 mi).

  • 2003 August 22 16:30 - SATEC Launch Vehicle: VLS. Failure - Exploded on pad during final prelaunch processing. 21 people were killed, with none injured.. VLS-1 V-03 Launch was due on August 25. Was to have been on third qualification flight after two previous failures. The launch had already been delayed from October 2002, then May 7 and June 20 2003. It appeared that one of the strapon boosters ignited by accident. The two satellite payloads were also destroyed in the blast, as was the launch pad.

  • 2004 October 23 16:50 - Cajuana Test mission Launch Vehicle: Viper. VSB-30 XV-01 Apogee: 100 km (60 mi).

  • 2004 October 23 16:51 - VSB-30 flight test Launch Vehicle: VSB-30. VSB-30 V01 LC: S. Apogee: 259 km (160 mi). Unguided test launch. During the 45 seconds total burn time of both motors the vehicle was accelerated to a final velocity of 1676 m/s. The payload segment with an approximate weight of 400 kg was carried to an apogee height of almost 240 km, which was reached 252 seconds after lift-off. At T+650 seconds the payload landed 190 km northeast of the launch site in the ocean, only 700 meters from the nominal impact point.

  • 2007 July 19 15:13 - Cuma II Launch Vehicle: VSB-30. VSB-30 V04 Apogee: 242 km (150 mi). Microgravity

Bibliography and Further Reading
  • McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 20,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2007 except where otherwise noted.
  
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