Falcon 20 research jet used to measure emission plume of sub-orbital launch vehicle

German aerospace centre believes data could support development of propellants with lower climate impact.
German researchers have carried out a test to measure the emissions from a space launch vehicle using a Dassault Falcon 20E jet.

The test was connected to the launch of a sub-orbital high-altitude rocket for the MAPHEUS programme, which conducts experiments in microgravity.

This launch took place on 1 October from the Swedish Esrange space centre east of Kiruna.

Aerospace research centre DLR states that air traffic control re-opened the airspace a few minutes later, in order to allow the specially-equipped Falcon to carry out a 1h flight at altitudes of 2,000-6,000m (6,600-19,700ft).

“Our aim was to show that such measurements are possible and how best to conduct them,” says DLR divisional board member for space Anke Pagels-Kerp.

“Given the rapidly increasing number of rocket launches – particularly for deploying ‘mega-constellations’ of several hundred to tens of thousands of small satellites – the potential impact of these launches on the atmosphere is increasingly coming into focus.”

The spreading and thinning of the launch vehicle’s exhaust plume presented the “particular challenge” of flying the Falcon “as precisely as possible” to conduct the measurement.

Pagels-Kerp says reliable emissions data could support investigation into atmospheric impact and the development of climate-compatible propellants.

The MAPHEUS programme has launched sounding rockets almost annually since the first in May 2009.

This latest launch, MAPHEUS-17, involved a vehicle almost 12m in length with a mass of 2.3t, carrying a 360kg payload. It reached an altitude of nearly 300km during its 16min flight.

It used a Red Kite rocket motor for the lower stage. This solid-fuel engine was developed by Bayern-Chemie on behalf of DLR, and went into series production in 2024. The upper stage was powered by an Improved Malemute motor.

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