On Tuesday, 15 September 2026, Brazil conducted the launch of a VS-30 V16 suborbital rocket with the PSM-R platform — a suborbital microgravity platform that has been called a "space laboratory."
The launch took place from the Barreira do Inferno Launch Center (CLBI) in Parnamirim, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This is the oldest aerospace center in South America.
The rocket was supposed to reach an altitude of more than 100 km in order to conduct experiments under microgravity conditions. The platform, weighing about 401 kg, carried modules for research in biology, physics, and new materials.
A key element of the mission is the return system: after the flight, the PSM-R descends by parachute so that scientists can retrieve and analyze the samples on Earth. This is the first such test of a national platform.
The launch became the main part of Operation Potiguar-2, organized by the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB) together with the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE) and the Air Force.
The platform was developed as a national module for future suborbital missions. It protects and controls experiments, including tests on microorganisms and electronic components.
The success of the test will allow Brazil to conduct more independent microgravity research without depending on foreign partners. How will this affect the development of the national space program?
Earlier, in 2024, the first phase of the operation took place, in which launch procedures were tested. Now the emphasis is on the actual flight and the return of the payload.
