Saab Space's fourth generation S19L guidance and control system has successfully been tested with two sounding rockets launched from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
The guidance system, based on Saab Space's first generation system, has taken a year to develop under a NASA sounding rocket operations contract.
Sounding rockets carry small payloads of tens of kilograms on a suborbital trajectory to enable experiments in a microgravity environment.
"The two sounding rockets reached their planned maximum altitude at 380km [236 miles]. The S19L systems perfectly controlled both rockets into landings in the designated impact area," says Saab Space.
The Swedish company has provided guidance control for 166 sounding rocket flights.
Source: Flight International