Technical problems grounds homemade Danish space rocket
The launch of the first homemade rocket into space failed Sunday owing to technical difficulties; the two Danish inventors who used private funds to develop the 9-meter, 1.6-ton prototype hope to send a person into space within three or four years, which would make Denmark only the fourth nation to do so
Checking the fit of the standing-room-only rocket // Source: uniquedaily.com
The first launch attempt of a homemade rocket built by two Danes failed on Sunday because of a technical glitch, according to Danish media. Live footage of the launch off the Baltic island of Bornholm appeared to show brown smoke coming out of the rocket after the countdown.
RedOrbit reports that experts interviewed by TV2 News said the likely cause was a failure of the ignition system.
After an inspection, the builders of the rocket decided against a second launch and did not set a date for a new attempt.
Peter Madsen and Kristian von Bengtsson have toiled for more than two years to build the 9-meter (30 feet), 1.6-ton prototype, which is named after the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe (“One-man, standing-room rocket ready for launch,” 26 August 2010 HSNW). They intend “to show that with little financial means anyone can send a rocket into space, which is a privilege not just reserved for rich countries,” said Madsen before the launch, which was delayed several times because of bad weather.
The prototype, which contained a doll, cost a total of €50,000 ($63,400) and was financed mostly by 2,000 individual sponsors and twenty companies. It had been hoped that the rocket would reach an altitude of between six to nineteen miles.
The duo hope to send a person into space within three or four years, which would make Denmark only the fourth nation to do so.
