This is a documentary of the launch of the "Sapphire" rocket by Copenhagen Suborbitals (CS) from June of this year. The video shows the preparations and the launch itself - from all available camera angles - including footage from the surveillance airplane.
Copenhagen Suborbitals is just weeks away from our first actively guided rocket flight. The Sapphire rocket has a liftoff mass of 200 kg, and stands six meters tall. Its nitrous oxide / polyurethane HATV type hybrid, controlled by servo operated copper jet vanes in the rocket jet. These powerful motors have a flawless record. The instrumentation and payload is now passing parachute separation tests - and the two test performed confirmed our expectations for the parachute system. The purpose of Copenhagen Suborbitals is to launch a human into space. You can god to space with a passive stable finn only rocket - but the initial acceleration needed to stay on course is too high for humans to endure. Therefore CS must master active guidance. The fist and last purpose of the Sapphire mission is to test active guidance.
The Crazy DIY Spaceflight Project That Just Might Work
"Keith Cowing, editor of NASAWatch.com, said Copenhagen Suborbitals has yet to convince anyone that they've built something safe to fly in. Spine-severing vibration, blackout-inducing acceleration and catastrophic hardware failures could each doom a would-be passenger. "But the fact that I'm not making fun of this and worrying about detailed technical aspects is fascinating. We don't giggle at it anymore," said Cowing, a former biologist who did payload integration for NASA and has completed suborbital scientist astronaut training. "In the past few years, it's no longer considered lunacy to try and build a rocket ship that you or someone could get into and take you to edge of space," he said. "I think we're watching something that may be bigger than we realize it is. Copenhagen Suborbitals is an extreme example."