NASA and Andøya Space successfully launched the student-oriented rocket GHOST from Andøya.
In a spectacular display of international collaboration, NASA and Andøya Space successfully launched the student-oriented research rocket GHOST from Andøya.
“We are thrilled to announce that the rocket performed great,” says Kolbjørn Blix, VP Sub-Orbital at Andøya Space, and also one of the two principal investigators for the GHOST mission. “The cubesats deployed and the students where able to get signals from them.”
The two-stage GHOST rocket lifted off at 10:05:59 UTC on November 18th, and reached an apogee of 268 kilometers during its flight.
The GHOST mission
The GHOST rocket carried several student built experiments from universities (and one high school) in USA, Puerto Rico and Norway. It was a follow-up of a similar initiative, with a rocket named G-Chaser.
“The objective was to give the next generation of space engineers and space scientists a taste of what it is like to participate in an international and complex space mission,” says Blix. “The students have worked for years in their experiments, and have gained valuable experience which will benefit us all in the long run. These young people will be the ones building our future earth observation satellites and interplanetary probes.”
“It has been an honor to be a part of the GHOST mission, and watch the enthusiasm from the participating students,” says Blix. “I felt the same nerves as them as the countdown came closer and closer to lift-off. And then the wonderful joy when everything worked and the vehicle completed a nominal mission.”
Watch the replay
The launch was streamed live on Andøya Space’s YouTube-channel: