Poland has successfully launched a single-stage rocket demonstrator at the Central Air Force Training Ground in Ustka. The flight was part of a project to develop a three-stage solid-fuel rocket for research payloads.
In 2020, the Polish government selected Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1 to lead a consortium developing a three-stage suborbital launch system. The Trójstopniowa Rakieta Suborbitalna (TRS) project involves the Military Institute of Armament Technology and Zakład Produkcji Specjalnej Gamrat (ZPS Gamrat), and is co-financed by the National Center for Research and Development.
The goal of the TRS project is to develop a three-stage rocket capable of carrying a 40-kilogram payload to an altitude exceeding 100 kilometres. While the rocket will initially be used to carry research payloads into space, Poland’s Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU) has stated that the technology could also be used for the development of anti-aircraft and tactical missiles.
In a 9 May press release, WITU announced that a single-stage demonstrator of the planned three-stage rocket was launched on 15 April 2025. According to a separate release from ZPS Gamrat, the rocket exceeded an altitude of 10 kilometres before being destroyed by its onboard flight termination system, as planned. The goal of the test was to validate the rocket’s navigation and control systems, engine performance under flight conditions, flight termination system, telemetry systems, and aerodynamic characteristics. According to the WITU release, teams are currently analysing the data collected during the flight.
The next test, currently scheduled to take place between June and August, will feature the addition of a second stage. If successful, the teams plan to proceed with the first test of the full three-stage rocket before the end of 2025.
