Copenhagen Suborbitals: The Incredible DIY Rocket Scientists on a Mission to Send a Human to Space
On July 28, a group of amateur space engineers plan to launch a rocket 12 kilometres into the sky, from a boat off the coast of Denmark.
Copenhagen Suborbitals is a group of volunteers with a shared mission: to send a human being into space. Their latest rocket, the Nexo II, will act as a technology testbed, testing their engines and pressure systems before they proceed with their plans for a manned flight.
The Nexo II is the most advanced rocket that Copenhagen Suborbitals has built. Funded entirely by donations and sponsors, it is 6.7 metres long and is powered by an engine running on ethanol and liquid oxygen.
If all goes well with this launch, the group will be a step closer to their ultimate goal: building the 13-metre Spica rocket, capable of launching a person 105 km above the Earth, into suborbital flight, before landing back in the Baltic Sea.
In this video, Wired travels to Denmark to meet the Copenhagen Suborbitals team in their workshop and hear about their ambitious mission as they prepare for their biggest ever launch.
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