A group of university students have launched a 16,000-foot rocket into the sky from a moor in Scotland, while attempting to cross the border of space one day.
On Saturday night, a rocket named Nebula shot away from Fairlie Moore in North Ayrshire after a “nervous” effort to prepare it as the launch deadline approached.
It was a test flight for parts that will one day leave Earth’s atmosphere and return the rocket to the ground.
Imperial College London’s Karman Space Program hopes to become the first university team to launch a reusable rocket into space.
The project is named after the Karman Line, the internationally recognized boundary with outer space, about 100 km above sea level.
The 2.2 m long Nebula rocket, powered by solid rocket propellant, was designed and built by the university team.
However, they had to fight against time as they tried to mount their rocket on the remote moor.
Difficulties in preparing for the flight caused their plans to launch to be postponed for several hours.
With minutes to go before the officially approved launch window closed, it finally rose from the moor to cheers from dozens of students.
Nebula has been testing avionics and telemetry systems that the team plans to use on future rockets beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
The student-led team hopes eventually to build a nine-meter rocket that will be powered by ethanol and nitrous oxide.
Nebula’s nosecone broke ahead of schedule and the parachutes intended to gently lower him to the ground did not deploy properly.
The operation for the launch of the Nebula was led by Dyuti Chakraborty, 19, who said they were still collecting important data about how the missile was functioning.
I think everyone is ecstatic
After the launch, she said: “I think everyone is ecstatic and just so relieved that we were able to do it.
“We’ve been on this rocket for a long time and for many of us it’s our first rocket we’ve ever designed or made.”
She added: “It’s been a really nerve-wracking couple of days.
“Travel all the way to Scotland from Londondo all the tests and come to the launch today.
“It was one of those days where every minute could change what we were going to do.
“So I’m not surprised we had five minutes left from the launch window and launched.”
Ahead of the launch, the project’s deputy leader, Sachin Solanki, said: “There’s some nerves going around, but there’s more of a sense of confidence.
“We have been working on this project for a little less than a year now.
“Many hours have been put into it, many late nights. Everyone has confidence in the technology we’ve developed, confidence in our rocket, confidence in our technique.
“But everyone has butterflies in their stomach.”
Mr Solanki added: “I think when you start something, you have to finish it. What we are trying to do is very ambitious.
“If everyone is determined, they should be able to achieve that goal.”
About 50 students are involved in the project, and they plan to cross the Karman line by 2024 with future versions of their rocket.