Norway’s Nucleus rocket was launched from Andøya island on Thursday afternoon.
The rocket was launched from Andøya Space Center at around 14.17 o’clock, with one hour delay due to wind direction problems, writes NRK.
It is the first Norwegian rocket, produced, designed and developed in Norway.
– The launch was successful, announced Andøya Space Center just after the missile left the island.
Engineers have been working continuously with the Nucleus project since 2010.
The Nucleus missile has a hybrid engine. That means it uses a liquid substance, hydrogen peroxide, to get a solid fuel, a rubber mixture, to burn. Hybrid motors use a mix of liquid and solid fuel, which means that the motor can shut down in-flight and even adjust its speed. Another benefit is that the motors are only hazardous when fueled on the launch pad, simplifying storage and handling.
This is the first time in Europe that such a rocket engine was used in such a rocket.
The goal is to reach 100 kilometers.
