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The VS-30 V16 flew for 12 minutes and 30 seconds during Operation Potiguar Phase 2. The platform with four experiments descended by parachute into the Atlantic and was retrieved by military personnel from the Air Force.
The sounding rocket VS-30 V16 took off on September 15, 2026 from the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center in Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte. Aboard was the Suborbital Microgravity Platform, designed to accommodate scientific experiments during flight, according to Brazil 247.
The flight reached an altitude of 92 kilometers and lasted about 12 minutes and 30 seconds, according to a statement from the Brazilian Air Force. After the parachute descent, the payload was recovered in the sea, the main goal of the mission.
Sounding Rocket Does Not Place Anything in Orbit
Unlike a satellite launcher, a sounding rocket ascends, traverses the upper part of the atmosphere, and returns. The payload does not circle the Earth: it ascends, experiences a few minutes of free fall, and descends.
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This free-fall segment is what interests researchers. During it, the equipment and samples are in a state of microgravity, a condition where weight virtually ceases to act on the materials.
Platform Developed by Orbital Engenharia
video: G1
The payload of the mission is the PSM-R, which stands for Reduced Suborbital Microgravity Platform, developed by the Brazilian company Orbital Engenharia. It functions as a small closed laboratory.
The setup weighs 401 kilograms, according to operational data released before the launch. The platform carries the experiments, maintains internal conditions during flight, and is the part that returns home.
Four Experiments Reached the Edge of the Atmosphere
The FAB (Brazilian Air Force) reported that the four onboard experiments emerged from partnerships between the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) and private sector partners, blending scientific research and technology testing.
Among them was a study on the effects of microgravity on microorganisms, a safety system test for launches, a high-density lithium battery, and a transmitter to locate the payload after landing. The last two were developed by the Aerospace Institute (IAE).
Research Covers Biology, Physics, and New Materials
The research lines planned for the platform involve biological materials, physical processes, and new materials. These are areas where the behavior of matter changes when weight ceases to interfere.
Without gravity acting, liquids do not separate by density, crystals grow differently, and cells react in distinct ways. The expectation shared before the flight was to achieve six to eight minutes in this condition.
Vehicle Measures 9 Meters and Weighs 1.6 Tons
The VS-30 is a single-stage rocket measuring approximately 9 meters in length and has a total mass of around 1.6 tons. It has been used by the Brazilian space program for decades in research flights.
The campaign aimed for an apogee of approximately 100 kilometers and a range of about 90 kilometers over the sea. The actual flight reached 92 kilometers.
“Yo-Yo” system slows spin before separation
Rockets of this type spin around their own axis during ascent, providing stability to the flight. However, the platform needs to detach with minimal rotation, or the experiments will be compromised.
The solution is a mechanism nicknamed yo-yo system: just before separation, the rocket ejects small weights attached to cables. As these weights move away from the axis, they change the moment of inertia of the system and slow down the spin, similar to a figure skater who spreads their arms to spin more slowly.
In addition to the platform, the rocket carried support modules
The VS-30 V16 also transported experimental modules, flight control equipment, and a cold gas supply system, used for small attitude corrections, meaning the vehicle’s position in space.
These subsystems do not conduct science on their own. They ensure that the platform reaches the correct point, in the right position, and with reduced spin.
Descent ended with a parachute in the Atlantic
Once the microgravity phase was completed, the platform detached from the rocket and began re-entry into the atmosphere. The parachute system was activated to slow the descent until it reached the water.
After landing in the sea, the equipment started emitting location signals, a function of the transmitter developed by the IAE and tested in this very mission.
Falcon Squadron and PARA-SAR conducted the recovery
The recovery was coordinated by the 1st Squadron of the 8th Aviation Group, Falcon Squadron, based at Natal Air Base, with support from the Airborne Rescue Squadron, PARA-SAR, from Campo Grande (MS).
According to the FAB, Falcon Squadron’s aircraft positioned itself over the platform’s landing point, and PARA-SAR personnel were deployed into the sea to execute the rescue. Before the flight, preparations included the use of the H-36 Caracal helicopter for this phase.
Bringing the cargo back was the mission’s objective
The main focus of Operation Potiguar Phase 2 was not to set an altitude record, but to qualify the national recovery system of the platform in flight. Here, qualifying means proving that the system works under real conditions.
Without recovery, a suborbital experiment only delivers data transmitted by radio. With recovery, physical samples return to the laboratory and can be analyzed, which expands the types of research possible.
Capacity reduces dependence on foreign structures
Until now, Brazilian experiments requiring sample return relied on flights and services contracted abroad. With its own tested system, the country now has the complete cycle in-house: launch, flight, descent, and recovery.
This closed cycle is what paves the way for future microgravity missions, including with paying clients, since a recoverable platform can be reused for new campaigns.
Operation involved six institutions
The mission brought together the Brazilian Air Force, the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center, the Aerospace Institute (IAE), the Aerospace Science and Technology Department (DCTA), the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB), and the Airspace Control Department (DECEA), along with support from the Brazilian Navy.
DECEA managed the airspace closure while the Navy handled the maritime area. The launch window for Operation Potiguar Phase 2 was from August 31 to September 19, 2026, with the flight taking place on the 15th.
Next Step is to Use the Platform in New Campaigns
With the recovery system qualified, the PSM-R is available for new microgravity research missions from the Barrier of Hell. The recovered payloads in the Atlantic have been sent for analysis by the teams responsible for each experiment.
In an assessment released by the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the flight represents a decisive step in the Brazilian space program. Dates and objectives of the upcoming missions have not yet been disclosed.
