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The Brazilian Microgravity Program is mainly based on experiments carried out on sounding rockets. Up to present days, three missions carrying a total of experiments were made. n all ights, a fast solidi cation furnace, capable of producing temperatures up to 900º C, was used to process metal and semiconductor alloys in microgravity environment. This paper has described the furnace and the solidi cation experiment made during the last parabolic ight, called Maracati Mission, which has occurred in ecember, 0 0.

Brazil has a Microgravity Program mainly based on experiments using sounding rockets. This paper presents a brief account of the Program and the experiments made on the Brazilian rockets. Up to now three missions carrying a total of 26 experiments were made. In all flights a fast solidification furnace, capable of producing temperatures up to 900• C, was tested with semiconductor and metal alloys. This paper describes the construction and the performance of that furnace during the last parabolic flight, occurred in 2010. The solidification furnace is now qualified and ready to be used by other institutions in sounding rocket flights.

Brazil has a Microgravity Program mainly based on experiments using sounding rockets. Up to now, four missions have been carried out with approximately 35 experiments submitted in total. In all flights, the Associate Laboratory of Sensors and Materials of the Brazilian Space Research Institute (LABAS/INPE) participated with a fast solidification furnace, capable of producing temperatures up to 900 °C, which was tested with semiconductor and metal alloys. This paper describes the construction and the performance of that furnace during the last parabolic flight, Rio Verde Mission, occurred in 2016. The solidification furnace is now qualified and ready to be used by other institutions in sounding rocket flights.