A closer look at how amateur rocketeers plan to launch a human into space

Jonas Linell, Copenhagen Suborbitals

The amateur rocket enthusiasts at Copenhagen Suborbitals have been plugging along now for eight years, and after a series of some launch attempts and some failures, the crowdfunded group says it is making progress toward more ambitious goals—including the launch of a human on a suborbital flight.

Founded in 2008, Copenhagen Suborbitals has attempted more than a half-dozen launches of various sized rockets, including the Heat-1X in 2011, believed to be the most powerful amateur rocket ever launched. Most recently, in July, Copenhagen Suborbitals launched its Nexø 1 rocket, a 5.6-meter-long booster weighing 205kg. Powered by liquid oxygen and ethanol, the Nexø only reached an altitude of 1.5km instead of its planned flight to 8km.

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