TEXUS is a European/German sounding rocket

Sounding rocket

A sounding rocket, sometimes called a research rocket, is an instrument-carrying rocket designed to take measurements and perform scientific experiments during its sub-orbital flight. The origin of the term comes from nautical vocabulary, where to sound is to throw a weighted line from a ship into...

 programme, serving the microgravity programmes of ESA and DLR

German Aerospace Center

The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...

. The launches are conducted from Esrange

Esrange

Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...

 in Sweden.

The first mission was conducted on 13 December 1977, using a British Skylark

Skylark (rocket)

Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...

 rocket. All missions up to TEXUS-41 in 2004 were conducted using Skylark rockets. Following the Skylark's retirement in 2005, TEXUS launches switched to the Brazilian VSB-30

VSB-30

VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....

 rocket.

Texus Missions

Mission	Date	Launch site	Motor	Apogee	Payload	Modules	Comments	Reference Report
Texus 34	1996 Mar 2	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	232 km	392 kg	4/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...		Esrange EUK112-9613
Texus 35	1996 Nov 24	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	267 km	331 kg	4/(DLR+ESA)		Esrange EUK114-9704
Texus 36	1998 Feb 7	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	238 km
Texus 37	2000 Mar 27	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	245 km	369 kg			Esrange EUK130-E2
Texus 38	2000 Apr 2	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	250 km	369 kg		Parachute failed; Science OK	Esrange EUK130-E2
Texus 39	2001 May 8	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	248 km	362 kg	4/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...		Esrange EUK148-E11
Texus 40	2003 Apr 8	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	246 km	364 kg	4/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...		Esrange EUK154-E19
Texus 41	2004 Dec 2	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Skylark Skylark (rocket) Skylark was a British sounding rocket design. The Skylark was first launched in 1957 from Woomera, Australia and its 441st and final launch took place from Esrange, Sweden on 2 May 2005...  7	230 km	402 kg	4/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...		Esrange EUK163-E21
Texus 42	2005 Dec 1	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	263 km	372 kg	1/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in... , 1/ESA
Texus 43	2006 May 11	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	237 km	407 kg	3/ESA		Esrange EUK170-E19
Texus 44	2008 Feb 7	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	264 km	373 kg	3/ESA		Esrange EUK173-E42
Texus 45	2008 Feb 21	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	264 km	357 kg	2/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in... , 1/ESA		Esrange EUK174-E17
Texus 46	2009 Nov 22	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	252 km	392.9 kg	1/ESA+DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in... , 1/ESA+JAXA
Texus 47	2009 Nov 29	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	VSB-30 VSB-30 VSB-30 - "Veículo de Sondagem Booster – 30" is the designation of a Brazilian sounding rocket, which replaced the Skylark rocket at Esrange....	263.6 km	373.5 kg	4
Texus 48	2011 Nov 30	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...		263 km			Testing technologies for propellant handling in future European restartable cryogenic rocket upper stages.

MiniTexus Missions

Mission	Date	Launch site	Motor	Apogee	Payload	Modules	Comments	Reference Report
MiniTexus 1	1993 Nov 29	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...
MiniTexus 2	1994 May 3	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...
MiniTexus 3	1995 May 2	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...	125 km	200 kg	1/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...	Successful	Esrange EUK109-66
MiniTexus 4	1995 Apr 29	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...	148 km	162 kg	2/DLR German Aerospace Center The German Aerospace Center is the national centre for aerospace, energy and transportation research of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has multiple locations throughout Germany. Its headquarters are located in Cologne. It is engaged in a wide range of research and development projects in...	Successful	Esrange EUK109-66
MiniTexus 5	1998 Feb 11	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...
MiniTexus 6	1998 Dec 3	Esrange Esrange Esrange Space Center is a rocket range and research centre located outside the town of Kiruna in northern Sweden. It is a base for scientific research with high altitude balloons, investigation of the aurora borealis, sounding rocket launches, and satellite tracking, among other things...	Nike Orion Nike Orion Nike Orion is the designation of a two-stage American elevator research rocket, with a Nike base stage and an Orion upper stage. The Nike Orion is 9 m long, has a diameter of 0.42 m, a launch weight of 1100 kilograms , a launch thrust of 217 kN and a ceiling of 140 km .-External links:*...