The VS-30 is a Brazilian sounding rocket, developed by the Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço and derived from the Sonda 3 sounding rocket first stage.^[1] It consists of a single, solid-fuelled S-30 stage,^[2] and has been launched from Alcântara, Maranhão and Barreira do Inferno, Rio Grande do Norte, in Brazil, and Andøya and Svalbard Rocket Range in Norway.

It has been launched both on its own, or in the VS-30 Orion configuration,^[3] with an American Improved Orion second stage.^[4][5] On its own, it can reach an apogee of 140 kilometres,^[1][2] and with an Orion upper stage, it can reach an apogee of 434 kilometres.^[4]

The VS-30 is also used as the upper stage of the VSB-30 rocket.

List of VS-30 and VS-30 Orion flights:^[6][7][5]

VS-30 was used to test the EPL-ME (Estágio Propulsivo a Propelente Líquido) liquid propulsion upper stage in 2014.^[16]

On December 2, 2023, AEB's president announced that a VS-30 flight from Barreira do Inferno Launch Center is planned for 2024.^[17]

• Length (mm) 7428
• Payload Mass (kg) 260
• Diameter (mm) 557
• Total takeoff mass (kg) 1460
• Apogee (km) 160

The VS-30 sounding rocket uses the S-30 motor as a single-stage rocket for suborbital flights. It is also used in multiple stage configurations, such as the VLS (fourth stage), VS-30 Orion (mentioned above) and VSB-30 (where the S-30 is used as a booster stage).^[18][19]

The S-30 rocket engine is a solid-fuel rocket motor developed by the Brazilian Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), primarily for sounding rockets (suborbital research rockets).^[20] It is part of the Sonda series, developed by the Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço (IAE) under the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB).

• Type: Solid-fuel rocket motor^[19]
• Fuel: HTPB-based composite propellant^[18]
• Thrust: 103 kN^[19]
• Burn time: 21 seconds^[19]
• SI: 275 s^[18]
• Diameter: 66 cm^[18]
• Length: 4.3 meters^[20]
• Fuel Mass: 880 kg^[19]
• Total Mass: 1250 kg^[20]

• VSB-30
• VS-40