15 april 2021

The Romanian Association for Cosmonautics and Aeronautics (ARCA) will launch, in June 2021, the first Romanian satellite, with a rocket designed and built entirely in Romania. So far, ARCA has launched two stratospheric rockets, four large-scale stratospheric balloons, including a cluster-type balloon, and has received two government contracts with the Romanian Government and a contract with the European Space Agency.

ARCA is now building EcoRocket - a semi-reusable, steam-powered rocket. The launch team received official confirmation to start implementing the aero-naval operations plan, with a view to launching the EcoRocket in the Black Sea. „ARCA launch missions include naval operations and are the most complex type of mission we carry out. They require an exceptional effort to coordinate operations, in close cooperation with actively involved naval and military and civil aviation units. The security measures of the launch are exceptional, and we are proud of a 100% safety percentage”.

Romania becomes the second country in the EU, after France, and the 11th in the world to launch its own satellite.

„The amount of information processed in real time and the implementation of procedures on the naval and air side are extremely demanding. In order for these things to take place in good conditions, all the personnel involved go through a training program consisting of theoretical and practical training sessions on launching technique and naval technique, training which, on the day of the mission, shows its vital importance", says ARCA .

By launching EcoRocket, ARCA, a non-profit organization, wants to win the 10 million Euro prize offered by the European Commission. This award aims to stimulate the European aerospace industry for the construction of satellite launch missiles, with a low impact on the environment and a low launch cost.

Diana DUMITRU

Romania becomes the 11th country in the world and the second in the EU to launch its own satellite