ILR-33 AMBER

ILR-33 AMBER – Polish multistage suborbital rocket designed by Warsaw Institute of Aviation – Łukasiewicz Research Network.[1] The main goal of development of AMBER is gaining experience in building rocket engines and rockets themselves. AMBER can be used in sounding the atmosphere, performing various experiments in microgravity and as a rocket and space technologies testing platform.

ILR-33 AMBER
ILR-33 ready to launch
FunctionAtmosphere sounding, conducting experiments in microgravity
ManufacturerInstitute of Aviation, Warsaw
Country of originPoland
Size
Height5 m (16 ft)
Diameter230 mm (9.1 in)
Capacity
Payload to Kármán line
Mass10 kg (22 lb)
Launch history
Total launches3
First flight2017
Boosters
No. boosters2
Powered bySolid
PropellantSolid
stage
PropellantPolyethylene and hydrogen peroxide hybrid drive

Description

The rocket is 5 meters tall and has the diameter of 230 mm.[2] It consists of two solid boosters and hybrid main engine. The main engine is a Polish construction which uses highly concentrated H2O2 as oxidiser. AMBER has reusable head. The recovery of payload is done by pyrotechnical separation from head and deploying drogue and main parachutes. Payload touches the ground with speed of about 8 m/s.[1][3]

ILR-33 AMBER is designed to reach the Kármán line with 10 kilograms of payload. AMBER is a flagship project of Warsaw Institute of Aviation – Łukasiewicz Research Network.[1]

History

The rocket is in development since 2014.[3] The oxidising agent of main engine is highly concentrated H2O2. as researchers from Institute have patented unique method on obtaining this compound by distillation.[4] The project was repeatedly awarded: the jury of International Invention and Innovation Show INTARG 2018 gave the platinum medal in category "Industry" and Ministry of Investment and Economic Development diploma.[5] On Moscow International Salon of Inventions and Innovation Technologies 2019 Łukasiewicz Research Network – Institute of Aviation has received silver medal for solution: „ILR-33 AMBER rocket as system of inventions and innovative platform to conduct experiments in micro-g environment”.

Because of the need to adjust regulations to perform flights od AMBER and similar rockets, the boundaries of air space of CPSP Ustka were extended.[6]

Since 2019 a new version with higher performance is under development. New version is designated as the ILR-33 BURSZTYN 2K – which refers to Meteor 2K rocket. AMBER 2K will be equipped with enlarged boosters. Mass optimization of subsystems is also taking place. Service module is being prepared to host payloads – atmospheric sounding equipment or experiments using a micro-g environment[7]


Missions

The first test flight took place in 2017 on Drawsko Military Training Ground, during which there were basic assumptions, mechanisms and infrastructure of rocket verified in-flight.[8] The maximum altitude of flight was limited due to restrictions of area where AMBER was tested. Another flight, planned on the end of 2018 was cancelled due to intense jet streams.

The second successful test was in may 2019 in Drawsko Pomorskie. There was modified rocket and new systems tested, i.a. steering module. On 10 September 2019 there was another flight performed to test steering system and the recovery of payload from the surface of the Baltic Sea[9]

List of ILR-33 AMBER missions:
Flight no. Date Site of launch Apogee Description Video of flight Source
1. 22 October 2017 Drawsko Military Training Ground 15 km Test flight, verification of proper work of  systems https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlw61mwYI7E [8]
2. September 2018 Air Force Training Centre Ustka – Start cancelled due to intense jetstreams [6]
3. 26 May 2019 Drawsko Military Training Ground 10.5 km Test flight with steering module https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da02FBrtoM4 [10]
4. 10 September 2019 Air Force Training Centre Ustka 23 km Test flight, checking performance of steering module, recovery of the head from Baltic Sea [9]

See also
  • Meteor – series of Polish sounding rockets, built between 1963 and 1974.

References
  1. "9. konferencja Development Trends in Space Propulsion Systems". Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Instytut Lotnictwa (in Polish). 18 November 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  2. Dawid Cieśliński, ILR-33 Bursztyn jako platforma testowa technologii rakietowych, 2018
  3. Rakieta Bursztyn na konferencji Development Trends in Space Propulsion Systems, retrieved 23 September 2019
  4. "Patenty i wynalazki". Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Instytut Lotnictwa (in Polish). Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  5. "Instytut Lotnictwa doceniony na INTARG 2018. "Bursztyn" z medalem – Space24". space24.pl. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  6. "Postępy w projekcie ILR-33 Bursztyn". Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Instytut Lotnictwa (in Polish). 12 October 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  7. Michał Pakosz, Tomasz Noga, Damian Kaniewski, Adam Okniński, Bartosz Bartkowiak (16–20 June 2019). "LR-33 AMBER ROCKET – QUICK, LOW COST AND DEDICATED ACCESS TO SUBORBITAL FLIGHTS FOR SMALL EXPERIMENTS". Essen.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Rakieta ILR-33 "Bursztyn"". Kosmonauta.net (in Polish). 14 December 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  9. "Lot rakiety ILR-33 BURSZTYN na centralnym poligonie Sił Powietrznych w Ustce". Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Instytut Lotnictwa (in Polish). 13 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
  10. "Drugi lot rakiety ILR-33 BURSZTYN". Sieć Badawcza Łukasiewicz – Instytut Lotnictwa (in Polish). 29 May 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
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