
Spaceport America hosted a suborbital launch by EXOS Aerospace 2 March 2019. The 374 kg SARGE rocket carried 7 payloads, including experiments for Mayo Clinic, the University of Central Florida, and Purdue University. Launch time was 1747 UT, and landing time was 1758 UT. APRS data from KG5TSM indicates the recovery phase began at or above 22058 meters MSL.
SARGE can reach altitudes similar to a weather balloon, but much more quickly, and returns to Earth just as quickly, with a GPS-controlled parafoil that steers the reusable rocket back toward the launch site. Erected with a crane truck and loaded with liquid oxygen and ethanol fuel shortly before launch, it had a bit of the feel of a hobby rocket, just on a larger scale.
Manifest
U of Central Florida | SPACE-2 |
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville / CAST | BRIC66 Payload |
NASA Langley? | Vibration Damper |
Purdue University | PREFER |
Mounting System | |
School (Nanticoke, PA) | STEM Outreach |
Agronautics Kickstarter | Hopstronautix |
Sons of Liberty Gun Works | Memorabilia |
EXOS, the successor to Armadillo Aerospace, is also working on a reusable orbital rocket called Jaguar that will deliver 100 kg payloads to orbits possibly as high as 400 km.