Forschungsflugkörper Explained

The Forschungsflugkörper (German for research aircraft or missile) was a West German sounding rocket manufactured by ERNO from 1972 to 1974 for the German Aerospace Center (DLR). It was launched three times by MORABA, from the Centre d'Essais des Landes, French Army launch site near Biscarosse. Only the last flight was successful, reaching the apogee of 120 km, just above the Kármán line. It was a single stage rocket with a weight of 300 kg, a length of 4.00 metres, a core diameter of 0.25 metres.

Launch history

DateFlight FunctionLaunch siteApogeeOutcomeRemarks
10 October 1972 14:00 GMTDLR C-FFK-45Test flightBiscarosse0 km
24 October 1972 15:00 GMTDLR C-FFK-46Test flightBiscarosse0 km
7 May 1974 13:00 GMTDLR C-FFK-47Test flightBiscarosse120 km

Sources and further reading