Our sounding rocket payload platform is state-of-the-art, flight-proven and based on standardized parts allowing us to design and build advanced and cost-effective payloads in a short amount of time.
The payload platform is a part of our end-to-end service called Hotel Payload which offers easy access to the space environment. You as a customer can focus on the actual experiment while Andøya Space designs and develops the payload section, procures the motors, qualifies the vehicle for flight and then performs the launch operations from one of our launch sites.
These services significantly reduces the mission complexity for the customer.
Various subsystems can be installed in the payload, such as deployable doors, instrument booms, de-spin systems, motor separation systems, recovery modules, satellite navigation modules, camera systems, split nosecone and a mother-daughter system called 4DSpace which contains six deployable daughter payloads.
Hotel Payload is an excellent option for scientific research, technology demonstration missions and space education purposes.
Hotel Payload flights
- HotPay 2, single stage vehicle for atmosphere research, launched from Andøya.
- ICI-2, two stage vehicle for space weather research, launched from Svalbard.
- ICI-3, two stage vehicle for space weather research, launched from Svalbard.
- ICI-4, two stage vehicle for space weather research, launched from Andøya.
- MaxiDusty-1, single stage vehicle for atmosphere research and technology testing, launched from Andøya.
- MaxiDusty-1b, single stage vehicle for atmosphere research and technology testing, launched from Andøya.
- Nucleus, single stage vehicle powered by a hybrid engine, launched for technology testing from Andøya.
- ICI-5, two stage vehicle for space weather research, launched from Svalbard.
New developments
Andøya Space is developing a new lightweight version of the payload platform, which will allow for missions to either use smaller motors, carry more experiments onboard, achieve a higher apogee and / or increase the flight time.
We are also designing an exciting new CubeSat ejection module. This module will enable cheap and easy ways to test experimental 1U and 2U CubeSats in a real space environment. It is also perfect for space education purposes, since it significantly lowers the costs for universities compared to costly and lengthy orbital missions, while still providing the same learning experience.