Brazil has launched a research rocket carrying a suborbital microgravity platform that is expected to return to Earth by parachute after completing its flight.
The VS-30 V16 rocket was launched on Sept. 15, 2026, from Brazil’s Barreira do Inferno spaceport in the city of Parnamirim.
The microgravity platform is designed to conduct scientific experiments in near-weightless conditions.
The rocket is expected to reach an altitude of more than 100 km.
During the flight, the platform will conduct a series of experiments involving biological materials, physical processes and new materials.
Once the research is completed, the platform will separate from the rocket and begin its return to Earth.
Unlike a satellite, the platform will not remain in space. It will re-enter the atmosphere, deploy a parachute and is expected to splash down in the Atlantic Ocean.
Brazilian specialists will then recover the platform from the water and transport it back for further study.
In addition to the platform, the rocket carries experimental modules, flight control equipment and a cold gas propulsion system.
To stabilise the rocket’s rotation before the platform separates, a special device known as the “yo-yo” system is used.
The name derives from its design, in which small weights spin on cables or ropes, altering the system’s moment of inertia and helping to reduce the rocket’s rotational speed.
