Gdynia's PERUN rocket honoured in defence contest. 150 km apogee and ballistic missile simulation

The competition forms part of an annual review of innovative projects related to security and defence. This year, for the first time since 2019, more than half of the entries came from private companies, alongside technologies from universities and research institutes. They included unmanned systems, military solutions and the Polish rocket, which stands out from the field for one simple reason: it already flies.

Three flights from Ustka, three more planned

PERUN is the largest hybrid-propelled suborbital rocket in Polish history. It has reached technology readiness level 7, and its third flight took place on 22 November 2025 at the Central Air Force Training Range in Ustka. It was a test flight, but with real research payloads on board, and the first in the commercialisation track under the European Space Agency's Boost! programme. Three test flights are scheduled for 2026 under the ESA contract, and the company is recruiting payloads for the coming missions.

During the November flight the team validated launch and safety procedures, the execution and recovery of experiments, payload integration, the thrust vector control system and the onboard safety system with immediate mission abort capability. The physical conditions of launch and flight, including vibration and g-forces, were also measured. With ESA funding SpaceForest has improved the combustion chamber, the key element of the engine.

950 kg, nitrous oxide and paraffin

At lift-off the rocket weighs around 950 kg, more than half of it fuel. Its hybrid propulsion uses nitrous oxide as oxidiser and modified paraffin wax as fuel, emitting no harmful substances into the atmosphere. The SF-1000 engine is SpaceForest's own design, ground-tested many times on a test bench. The airframe is built using filament-wound composite technology, making it lighter and more durable.

The mission profile is designed around experiments. After reaching an altitude of around 150 km the rocket enters a free-fall phase of several minutes, during which payloads experience microgravity comparable to conditions on the International Space Station, before returning under parachute for a soft landing. The rocket is reusable, launches from a mobile launcher anywhere in the world, and payload costs are estimated at a few thousand dollars per kilogram, many times cheaper than orbital launches.

RASEL, in-house tracking and communications

The latest flight also tested RASEL, an autonomous tracking and data transmission system developed by SpaceForest. It comprises two subsystems: a one-way link with an onboard beacon and a four-antenna ground tracking station, and a two-way link with an onboard transceiver, a directional ground antenna and software for data reception, archiving and visualisation. Together they allow continuous tracking of rocket parameters and transmission of control commands. The company has also developed an application to predict the landing site.

A Gdynia company from radars to rockets

SpaceForest is more than PERUN. The company, based on Bolesława Krzywoustego Street in Gdynia, has for years developed advanced electronics and microwave technologies, including space-grade components used in satellite systems and European orbital rockets. Its portfolio includes the HUSSAR family of synthetic aperture radars, with a version for drones, microwave filter tuning systems and the VIRA supersonic rocket. The first PERUN prototype was built with support from Poland's National Centre for Research and Development, and the current model was developed on that basis. The company also exhibited at this year's MSPO in Kielce as a supplier of dual-use technologies for defence, security and space.

For Pomerania the award is a signal that the region has not only shipyards, ports and offshore wind, but also space technologies moving from prototypes to services. A rocket launched from the range at Ustka, built in Gdynia and funded by ESA is one of the few Polish projects that combine all three.