VLS-1

Key takeaways

VLS-1 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect VLS-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of VLS-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The VLS-1 (Portuguese: Veículo Lançador de Satélites) was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle would have been capable of launching satellites into orbit. The launch site was located at the Alcântara Launch Center 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.

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. The project was terminated by Brazilian Space Agency in 2016. 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.

VLS-1 schedule

Initial flight test schedule

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:

VLS Configurations

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

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.

"Cruzeiro do Sul" (Southern Cross) program

VLS Alfa In the framework of the proposed Cruzeiro do Sul program, 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 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

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

Stage 1 - one P40 solid rocket engine Stage 2 - one L300 rocket engines Stage 3 - one L75 rocket engine Projected flights are:

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

See also Comparison of orbital launchers families

References

External links

Brazil hopes to launch satellite rocket in 2011 Atualizações sobre o Projeto do VLS VLS terá teste em Setembro Archived 2009-08-28 at the Wayback Machine

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with VLS-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what VLS-1 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to VLS-1 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about VLS-1 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of VLS-1

In research: VLS-1 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses VLS-1 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: VLS-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Expendable space launch systems, Rockets and missiles, Space launch vehicles of Brazil, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for VLS-1 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study VLS-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what VLS-1 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain VLS-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is VLS-1 in simple terms?

The VLS-1 (Portuguese: Veículo Lançador de Satélites) was the Brazilian Space Agency's main satellite launch vehicle. The launch vehicle would have been capable of launching satellites into orbit.

Why does VLS-1 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study VLS-1?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on VLS-1.