The first Brazilian rocket with liquid propellant was launched last week at the Alcântara Launch Center, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão. According to the Institute of Aeronautics and Space (IAE), connected with the Department of Science and Aerospace Technology, which spearheads the undertaking, all technical requirements have been fulfilled and the operation was a success.
The launch took place at 11:02 pm, and lasted three minutes and 34 seconds. During the test, data were collected for studies on a space-run GPS system developed by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, and on a security device for space vehicles, built by the IAE.
The experiment worked throughout the forecasted 90-second period. The cargo aboard the rocket, named Liquid-Propellant Propulsion Stage, consists of an engine that uses ethanol and liquid oxygen.
The system was developed by Orbital Engineering in partnership with IAE. The operation also served to make the technical teams involved more prepared for future launches of engines with liquid propellant.
The good performance of the engine will enable the German Space Agency to resume the launching of Brazilian rockets. German experts took part in the operation collecting flight data by means of a movable telemetric station.
Oil and Gas
The total production of oil and natural gas in Brazil hit a record 2.82 million barrels equivalent per day (boepd) in July, reported the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) on Tuesday (September 2). Of this amount, 2.267 million barrels of oil per day (bpd) and 87.9 million cubic meters (m³) of natural gas were reported.
The oil output was up 1% in July from the previous month, and 14.8% in the year-earlier comparison. The production of natural gas was also reported to rise 1.5% compared to June this year, and 12% to the same month in 2013.
However, a dip of 0.1% was observed in the production of 34 pre-salt wells in July against June, totaling 582.8 thousand boepd – 480.8 thousand bpd plus 16.2 million m³ of natural gas. In the July on July analysis, there has been a expansion: in 2013, the average pre-salt production reached 358.8 thousand boepd – 296.4 bpd and 9.9 million m³ of natural gas per day.
According to the agency, 90.7% of the oil and natural gas were produced in fields operated by Petrobras. Out of the total figure, 92.5% of oil and 73.5% of natural gas were extracted from offshore oilfields.
