🚀 TRS single-stage suborbital demonstrator | 🛰 TRS single-stage demonstration flight
Launch date: April 15, 2025 00:00 UTC
Payload: TRS single-stage demonstration flight
Location: Central Air Force Training Ground, Ustka, Poland
Vehicle: TRS single-stage suborbital demonstrator
On 15 April 2025, Poland successfully launched a single-stage suborbital rocket demonstrator from the Central Air Force Training Ground in Ustka as part of the Trójstopniowa Rakieta Suborbitalna (TRS) project. The mission validated the rocket’s navigation, engine, telemetry, control, and flight termination systems. The vehicle reached over 10 kilometers altitude before being destroyed by its onboard termination system. This test marks a key milestone toward qualifying a three-stage rocket capable of lofting 40-kilogram research payloads above 100 kilometers. The TRS project is a collaboration of several Polish defense and research institutes. Additional tests, including a two-stage version, are scheduled for mid-2025, followed by a full three-stage launch before the end of the year.
Central Air Force Training Ground, Ustka, Poland
The Central Air Force Training Ground (Polish: Centralny Poligon Sił Powietrznych) is a significant military proving ground located along the Baltic coast near Ustka, Poland. Originally established during the Cold War, the site has been pivotal for Polish military readiness and research, serving as a venue for air defense exercises, live-fire drills, and the evaluation of a variety of missile and rocket systems.
The facility is operated jointly by the Polish Air Force and the Military Institute of Armament Technology (WITU). It has hosted a range of activities, from artillery training to the testing of indigenous rocket and missile programs, such as the TRS and experimental single-stage demonstrator vehicles. Its strategic location and infrastructure make it one of Poland’s premier centers for military technology testing and training.