

Copenhagen Suborbitals Successfully Launches Active Guided Rocket - acro
http://www.arcticstartup.com/2013/06/24/copenhagen-suborbitals-has-another-successful-launch

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mixmax
What this means is that the major obstacles for going into space have been
cleared (reliable engine, logistics around sea launch, active guidance) so the
next launch will be Heat2x, which has the potential to reach an altitude of
130 km. Space starts at 100 km.

Disclaimer: I'm involved with Copenhagen Suborbitals, and managed the
livestreaming of the event.

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vanderZwan
Did you see the joke comparing your achievement to the resekort situation[1]?

[1]
[https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151666565407048&se...](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151666565407048&set=a.159725812047.118433.826732047&type=1&theater)

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mixmax
yes - it was hilarious! Rejsekortet is such an embarrasment to Denmark, my
only constellation is that I once had sex with the CEO's daughter.

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vanderZwan
That escalated quickly.

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Svip
Would that make Denmark the fourth nation to independently achieve manned
space flight, behind Russia/USSR, USA and China? Or is it disqualified for not
being government run?

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kawsper
It was unmanned. Their final goal is to launch a human into space.

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Svip
Hence why I wrote 'would' and not 'does'. My question is if it counts _once_
they actually manage.

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sorenbs
The youtube channel is the best way to catch up with the project. There are
some cool videos of engine tests and a handful of very professionally edited
videos of the team explaining different stuff

[http://www.youtube.com/user/CphSuborbitals?feature=watch](http://www.youtube.com/user/CphSuborbitals?feature=watch)

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sbmassey
Should other nations start watching out for space Vikings?

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trebor
Anyone else get the H. Beam Piper reference?

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jontro
Nice, though I wonder what is so notable with the ground track offset.

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mixmax
It shows that the active guidance works as expected. Active guidance is
extremely difficult. The hardware is difficult because you need to design
jetvanes that work under extreme pressure, and in a 3000 degree jet exhaust.
The software is difficult because it needs to be extremely reliable while
still compensating for a lot of factors such as wind, spin, air density, etc.
and you can't test it, so there is no space for bugs.

No amateurs have ever even attempted active guidance before, and getting it
right in the first go is a huge accomplishment.

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ulrikrasmussen
Regarding testing, aren't there any possibilities of testing just parts of the
software, possibly via simulation, or is everything so inter-dependent that a
live physical test is the only way to go? It's pretty impressive to get
something so complex right in the first try! Props!

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mixmax
You can of course test subsystems, how they play with each other, I/O, etc.
But the main job of actually sending the rocket straight up is not testable.
You could build simulations, but they wouldn't help much since there are so
many parameters, unknowns, etc. that building an accurate simulation would
probably be as expensive as a test.

Besides, tests are much more fun!

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hobs
Just build it in Kerbal Space Program!

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workhere-io
Short launch video:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rva9J_3njnI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rva9J_3njnI)

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grecy
Cool. Thanks.

Does anyone know why the flames appear to "stutter" from the rocket in slow
motion? Is that expected behavior?

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omegant
It looks like turbulence or presure spikes on the chamber at ignition,
depending the magnitude that could lead to a explosion (I just an aficionado,
so take this opinion for what it´s worth) I also follow the sugar rocket to
space project, and I think they had some problems with this, and with cracking
in the propellant. Is the data from the launch available?.

