23/04/2026
On 10 March 2026, the APEX (Auroral Polarization EXplorer) payload lifted off on the REXUS 35 rocket at ESRANGE, Sweden. The APEX payload’s goal was to demonstrate the measurement of the polarization of the aurora borealis (northern lights) above the Earth’s atmosphere. To achieve this, the APEX payload consists of a three-axis stabilized gimbal to correct for the residual tumbling of the rocket. The payload includes an attitude determination system (ADS) comprising multiple sun sensors, a magnetometer and a gyroscope to determine where to point it. Two cameras with polarization filters on the camera sensor and a thin-film bandpass filter for selecting the observed spectral line are used to measure the polarization.
[Full Video on YouTube] The video is a supercut of three cameras: one ground-based camera filming the launch in slow motion, one rocket engineering camera filming the start and parachute deployment, and the APEX payload engineering camera filming the gimbal in action.
The footage of camera 1 and 2 were provided by who allowed us to use it in this Video.
The APEX Payload is Part of the Program. The REXUS/BEXUS program is realized under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center ( DLR) and the Swedish National Space Agency ( ). The Swedish share of the payload has been made available to students from other European countries through the collaboration with the European Space Agency ( ESA).
Experts from DLR, , ZARM and ESA provide technical support to the student teams throughout the project. EuroLaunch, the cooperation between the ESRANGE Space Center of SSC and the Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of DLR, is responsible for the campaign management and operations of the launch vehicles.
APEX Website: https://astg.at/projects/apex
REXUS/BEXUS Website: https://rexusbexus.net/
Full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0MmMdWRgxWo?is=qn8OgJDqQUZHwqv4
