Meteor is a designation of a series of Polish sounding rockets. The Meteor rockets were built between 1963 and 1974.

Meteor was the one and two stages meteorological rockets, using the solid fuel, constructed for the research of the top layers of atmosphere, wind directions and forces from 18 km to more than 50 km above the Earth surface. These rockets were designed by Polish engineers of Warsaw Aviation Institute (among them was Professor Jacek Walczewski and engineer Adam Obidziński) and had been produced by WZK-Mielec factory.

History

The first launching site of the sounding rockets in Poland was Błędowska Desert, where since 1958 to 1963, the rockets of different types had been launched; among others RD and Rasko. During a flight, the biological experiment with earlier trained two white mouses was conducted (the RM-2D rocket achieved the altitude of 1,580 meters).

Since 1965 to April 1970, the Meteor-1 rockets had been launched from "spaceport" located 5 km from Ustka town. This programme had been continued to 1974, when rockets were bearing out from the area of experimental center founded there during the years of the Second World War, located on west side of Łeba town. Currently, it is in the museum (the starting place with ramp and the radar bases).

There was 224 flights of "Meteor-1" rocket series (including prototypes). The valuable data both meteorological and connected with rocket techniques were collected and analyzed as the result of these researches.

The "Meteor-1", "Meteor-2H" and "Meteor 2K" (the largest civilian rocket developed in Poland) were single-stage rockets. The "Meteor-3" was a two-stage rocket, developed from "Meteor 1".

Meteor 1Meteor 2HMeteor 2KMeteor 3
maximum altitude40 km68 km100 km65 km
takeoff thrust14 kN24 kN52 kN14 kN
diameter12 cm35 cm35 cm12 cm
length2.5 m4.5 m4.3 m4.3 m

Meteor rockets had been launched from Łeba and Ustka. Five Meteor rockets missions were conducted around 1970 from Zingst, in the former Eastern Germany. The programme of flights of Meteor-2 was finished during the same year, when Poland started to participate in Interkosmos research, using the Vertical rockets, which were derived from R-14 missile.

Meteor-1

One stage, but two units rocket called "Meteor-1" had the length of 2,470 mm and the initial mass of 32.5 kg. The flight lasted for 80 second and reaching at the peak altitude of 36.5 km. The motor ignite for 2–3 seconds and reached the maximum velocity of 1,100 meters per second. In 1965, 6 rockets of "Meteor-1" type was launched and after this time: 12 in 1966, 40 in 1967, 45 in 1968, 36 in 1969, 34 in 1970 and 4 in 1971.

The charge of metal dipoles was released by rockets and this material had later been observed on radar screens. It was the base of derivation of winds strength in the stratosphere and winds directions in the same atmospheric layer. After experiments that had been conducted in the years 1965–1966, during "The Year of the Quiet Sun", a cyclic pattern of variation in case of directions of these atmospheric flows was concluded.

Meteor-2

The one stage "Meteor-2K" was the most advanced version of the Meteor rocket. On 7 October 1970, the flight took place and reached the altitude of 90 kilometers. This rocket had been used as sounding of the ionosphere, reaching the level of boundary between D and E layers. 10 more flights of this version were realized, when the measurements of temperature were made. The length of rocket frame is 4.5 meters and some are more longer than an English rocket, Petrel (in service since 1968). The "Meteor-2" had not been produced in serial way. The cost of this rocket prototype was eight times higher than for the copy of "Meteor-1". The weight of useful charge, in form of "RAMZES" recovery probe, is 10 kg.

Meteor-3

A two-stage rocket called "Meteor-3" was a developed version of "Meteor-1". The range of flight was increased and the rocket gained possibility of launching of few charges of dipoles. It can reach at ceiling altitudes between 67 and 74 kilometers. An idea of version "S" project had been considered, although never realized. This model could be launch from airplane frame, about 5 kilometers above the surface.

Meteor-4

"Meteor-4" rocket has ten times more thrust than "Meteor-2". This version could reach above 100 km. According to design, this rocket is longer than 5 meters and had the initial total mass of 407 kg with useful weight of 10 kg. 175 seconds into the flight, it would reach at the altitude of 120 kilometers.

Launch Log

An incomplete list of Meteor launches

NumberDate Launch siteMaximum altitude (kilometres)Rocket typeRemarks
11963Leba36Meteor 1Test flight
2April 1965Leba36Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
3June 15, 1965Leba ?Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
4June 15, 1965Leba ?Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
5June 16, 1965Leba36Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
6April 5, 1967Leba36Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
7April 5, 1967Leba ?Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
8May 13, 1967Leba36Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
91968Leba68Meteor 2HTest flight
101968?Leba68Meteor 2HTest flight
11October 1968Leba65Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
121969?Leba68Meteor 2HAeronomy mission
131969?Leba68Meteor 2HAeronomy mission
141969?Leba68Meteor 2HAeronomy mission
15October 3, 1969Leba48Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
16October 3, 1969Leba49Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
17October 3, 1969Leba45Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
181970?Leba68Meteor 2HTest flight
19July 10, 1970Leba85Meteor 2KAeronomy mission
20July 10, 1970Leba100Meteor 2KTest flight
21August 22, 1970Leba57Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
22September 2, 1970Leba63Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
23September 7, 1970Leba62Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
24September 9, 1970Leba61Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
25October 7, 1970Leba75Meteor 2KAeronomy mission
26October 7, 1970Leba89Meteor 2KAeronomy mission
27June 11, 1973Leba22Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
28June 12, 1973Leba23Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
29June 14, 1973Leba40Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
30June 15, 1973Leba22Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
31June 15, 1973Leba40Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
32September 15, 1973Leba36Meteor 1Aeronomy mission
33September 16, 1973Leba44Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
34September 17, 1973Leba45Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
35September 18, 1973Leba44Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
36June 6, 1974Leba65Meteor 3Aeronomy mission
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