Fritz von Opel (* 4. May 1899 Ruesselsheim (Main), "† 8. March 1971 Samedan, pc. Moritz) was Industrieller, rocket pioneer and engine sportsman.

He was a grandchild of Adam OPEL and a cousin of George von Opel. It studied to the TH Darmstadt and became first test leader the Adam OPELs AG.

He built together with max of Valier and Friedrich Sander a racing car with powder rocket propulsion (OPEL Sander Rakwagen 1) and reached on 11 April 1928 thereby a speed of 138 km/h, with the OPEL Sander Rakwagen 2 to 23. May of the same yearly then 235 km/h. On 23 June the unmanned RAK 3 screwed the speed record for rail-mounted vehicles on a cord-straight railway line with castle whisk on 254 km/h.

Fritz von Opel financed the first manned rocket flight on 11 June 1928 with a Lippisch duck, which became to provide with solid-propellant rockets. Whereupon constructing OPEL undertook a further manned rocket flight on 30 September 1929 on Frankfurt airfield the Rebstock. The airplane technical designer Julius Hatry developed for it a Hochdecker with double tail unit. With this it concerns the first particularly airplane built for the rocket propulsion world-wide. The rocket plane OPEL other RAK.1 reached a height of 20 to 30 meters and put in 80 seconds scarcely two kilometers back.

See also

• History of space travel

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