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A Danish group of amateur spaceflight enthusiasts launched a homemade rocket Friday (July 27) on a trial flight to test vital technologies for a private manned spacecraft.

The team Copenhagen Suborbitals launched its two-stage unmanned rocket SMARAGD-1 from a floating platform in the Baltic Sea to test long-range communications gear, rocket stage separation systems and other equipment needed for its planned larger crewed spaceship. The rocket was expected to reach an altitude of about 12 miles (20 kilometers) during the test flight, according to a mission description.

The launch marked the first mission for the non-profit Copenhagen Suborbitals since a 2011 test flight of its HEAT-1X rocket and a space capsule prototype. The group is now developing a small, one-person space capsule (called Tycho Deep Space) that resembles a miniature Apollo spacecraft.