Material Physics Rockets MAPHEUS-3/4: Flights and Developments

Kurzfassung

Sounding rockets can serve as a time- and cost-effective platform for a wide range of research under microgravity conditions. It is shown that MAPHEUS – MaterialPhysikalische Experimente Unter Schwerelosigkeit (Materials Physics Experiments under Weightlesness) – a DLR internal R&D project perfectly achieves this whilst maximizing scientific output. MAPHEUS hereby offers launch opportunities on a yearly basis and with comparatively short development cycles of about one year only. In the first three campaigns MAPHEUS provided about three minutes of microgravity time. Recent developments enable to extend this to four minutes above 100 km. Performance data of the recent MAPHEUS-3 flight together with information on the experiment modules are provided. Further an outlook is given on the experiment modules used on board of MAPHEUS-4 and the new vehicle.