ESA - Sounding Rockets and Balloons

Sounding Rockets and Balloons

The REXUS / BEXUS programme of DLR and SNSB allows students from across Europe to carry out scientific and technological experiments on sophisticated research rockets and balloons. REXUS are single-stage rockets which can reach an altitude of up to 100 kilometres and BEXUS are stratospheric balloons reaching 35 kilometres for flights of up to five hours.

Students have the opportunity to experience the full life-cycle of a space project, from design and development right through to building, testing and evaluation of the experiment while receiving guidance from experts.

The rockets and balloons are launched from the European launch site SSC-Esrange near Kiruna in Sweden, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. All participating students have the chance to travel to this remote launch site to complete their experiments for launch and operate them during the flight.

Applications for participation and ESA sponsorship open at the beginning of September.

Go to: www.rexusbexus.net

Watch: www.euronews.net/2008/10/30/student-projects-fly-high-in-northern-sweden