Blackout - 2" Redemption
Blackout is a 2.2" diameter, high performance rocket built to be as simple as humanly possible.
It was about as close to a motor with fins and a nosecone as possible. The CFRP fin assembly slid over the 27" long 6063 aluminum motor casing and the nosecone assembly slid into the forward end.
Blackout flew on a very similar motor to Afterparty, but with improved propellant and a reusable casing. It proved a new motor casing and liner combination which enables cheap, reusable experimental 54mm motors.
Blackout reached a peak speed of Mach 2.4 at 1.1 seconds into flight, on its way to 16,632ft.
Shot and Chaser - Staging Test Bed
Shot and Chaser is a 2.2" diameter two stage rocket designed to build staging experience.
It is constructed out of cardboard tubes and 3D printed parts to be easy to repair and modify. It uses a conical interstage coupler much like Two To Tango, but made from plastic instead of aluminum. The tubes were later upgraded to fiberglass composite to improve stiffness and remove slop.
Shot and Chaser has flown three times to date, but has yet to achieve second stage ignition.
Afterparty - 200G Acceleration
Afterparty was a 2.1" diameter diameter built to test fly an experimental high thrust rocket motor to certify it for high acceleration environments.
The flight was projected to hit a maximum of 190G, but the propellant inside the rocket motor collapsed at only 130G, 0.46s into the flight. This structural failure caused a rapid increase of pressure inside the rocket motor, until the nozzle bond failed.
Afterparty used a CFRP fin assembly from Two To Tango, and a fiberglass nosecone.
Afterparty remains at large.
Two to Tango - High Performance Staged Attempt
Two to Tango is a two stage rocket with a 2.2” diameter booster stage and a 1.5” diameter sustainer stage.
The full stack is just over 6 feet tall and almost 10 pounds on the pad, of which 4.6 pounds are propellant. Both stages utilize custom solid rocket motors optimized for this specific flight profile.
A conical interface couples the two stages together, providing a rigid connection under burn that easily drops away once the booster burn ends. The sustainer fin can is 3d printed from aluminum alloy while the booster is carbon fiber composite.
Two To Tango had four test flights to test the recovery systems, interstage coupler, and onboard video.
Souped Up - Higher Altitude Test Bed
Souped Up is a 2.2” diameter fiberglass and carbon fiber rocket that was built as a higher altitude test bed and to test a new deployment configuration.
This rocket was arguably the simplest I have made so far, as it eliminated almost all components of the rocket leaving only the motor, fin can, and nosecone (which contained the avionics in a bay located at the tip).
Souped Up achieved an altitude of 18,452ft and an estimated speed of Mach 2 on an Aerotech K455 single use motor.
COMET - High Power Composites Test Bed.
Comet is a 1.5” diameter all fiberglass rocket that was built as a testbed for all composite construction and dual deploy.
All airframe components were custom made from biaxial fiberglass sleeves laid up on aluminum or 3d printed mandrels.
This rocket was built as a “sub minimum diameter" rocket, meaning that the motor casing is an integral part of the rocket’s structure and constitutes a portion of the exposed outer surface.
Comet reached an apogee of 8048ft and an estimated speed of Mach 1.5.
VEGA - High Power Certification Rocket
Vega is a 2.2” diameter cardboard/fiberglass rocket built as both a composite test bed and as a second attempt at my level 1 certification flight.
It used a cardboard body tube that was covered in two layers of fiberglass sleeves for reinforcement. The fins were cut from plywood and reinforced with fiberglass cloth laid from fin tip to fin tip.
Vega has flown three times, first for my certification, then modified as a booster for Two To Tango as well as a recovery test rocket.
PYXIS - Level One Certification Attempt.
Pyxis was a 3” diameter cardboard rocket intended for completing the flight portion of my Level 1 high power certification.
It had a cardboard body tube and “through the wall” plywood fins. While it never achieved a nominal flight, it was an important stepping stone for entering the world of high power rocketry.
1. Project 5K - High Power and Team Experience Building.
Project 5k was a team project with my school’s rocket club, and was the team’s first high power rocket.
At 2.2” diameter it was the same diameter as Souped up, and it actually borrowed one of the nose cones from that project.
This rocket was built as a “Minimum diameter” rocket, meaning that the body tube inner diameter is the same as the motor’s outer diameter.
Project 5k flew on a commercial CTI I540 rocket motor and achieved an altitude of 8036ft with an estimated speed of Mach 1.2.
2. Bat Out of Hell - Speed Record Attempt.
Bat Out of Hell was my school rocket club’s second high power rocket, and most performant of its first year.
It was 1.5 inch diameter, just over 31 inches long and weighed 2lb on the pad.
This rocket used a commercial CTI I470 rocket motor to achieve its goal of setting the speed record at our local launch.
A camera was onboard this rocket, but it was not able to capture any footage of the flight.
Bat Out of Hell reached an unknown apogee and max speed as it unfortunately did not recover successfully.