VLS-1 V03

On August 22, 2003, a massive explosion destroyed a Brazilian Space Agency VLS-1 (VLS-1 V03) rocket as it stood on its launch pad at the Alcântara Launching Center in the state of Maranhão in northern Brazil. Twenty-one people, standing on the launch pad, died when one of the rocket's four first stage motors ignited accidentally. The explosion caused a fire in the nearby jungle brush, and produced a large cloud of smoke that was visible for large distances. This was the third major attempt by Brazil to launch a rocket of the country's own design.

The explosion leveled the rocket's launch pad, reducing a 10-story high structure to a pile of twisted metal. Dozens of kilometers away, residents of the city of São Luís were able to hear the blast. The rocket had been scheduled to launch in just a few days' time and had two satellites onboard when the explosion occurred.

After the explosion, the Brazilian Space Agency was criticized for using solid-fuel rockets, which are easier to build and ignite than liquid-fuel rockets, but also dangerous because they lack throttle controls and emergency shut-offs. The incident has caused a significant delay to the Brazilian space program because of government inquiries as well as the fact that many scientists and engineers who worked on the program died when the rocket exploded.

The VLS-1 V04 was scheduled for launch in 2006, but the need for two separate stage testing postponed it, probably to 2009. By then, the VLS-2, now renamed Alfa (with a liquid-fuel third stage), may be ready.

Sabotage theories

The Brazilian Army Colonel Roberto Monteiro de Oliveira (ex-member of the SNI, "Sistema Nacional de Inteligência" or "National Intelligence System") predicted in august of 2002 the explosion of the VLS-1 V03, saying that "the enemies of Brazil, foreign and domestic, are going to sabotage it". There are speculations about the previous disastrous launches being sabotages as well.

The main reason for the theories are because the Alcântara Launching Center is one of the best locations in the planet for launching geosynchronous satellites, and if Brazil succeeded in launching its own satellite it would became a main player on this business, going against - mainly - the United States and Russian interests.

Other theories focus on the fact that Brazil has the largest uranium reserves on the planet, and since the design for satellite launching rockets and ICBMs are very similar in nature, and Brazil would have soon the capability to enrich uranium (now it has), it would put Brazil a step from becoming a country with long range nuclear weapons.

The most plausible explanation involves the competence of the Brazilian space agency. One source attributes the explosion to "Lax space program management and underfunding." The VLS was Brazil's first effort to build a rocket capable of reaching orbit with a commercial payload. The two previous VLS launch efforts had malfunctioned because of engine problems. The explosion was the third consecutive failure for the system. A new version of the launcher is being built with Russian assistance.

See also

• List of space disasters

References

• Colonel Roberto Monteiro de Oliveira warns, one year before the disaster, about the eminent threat.
• FSP: New tests postpone VLS-1 V04 launch (in Portuguese)
• BBC: A scaled down VSV-30 launch successfully
• BBC: Fatal blast hits Brazil space hopes
• BBC: Brazil vows to pursue space plan
• SpaceDaily article on explosion