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A 1:2 scale, solid-fueled high-power rocket designed to test Icarus's recovery system and evaluate flight-based sensors efficiently and cost-effectively. The rocket successfully flew to 1,500 feet and was recovered, helping to validate the recovery system's design.
Onboard Flight Test Footage
Flight Graphs Using Data From the Remus Harris Flight Computer
Me and Remus
Pad Photography from UML
Rocket Specifications
Rocket Specifications
The primary objective of this rocket was to reach a high enough altitude to deploy the parachute recovery system. A secondary objective was to test the flight-based sensors intended for use on Icarus as a ride-along. Thus, a rocket was built that featured:
A diameter of 4" and a length of 7 ft to accommodate large deployment bays.
An I-Class motor with a peak thrust of 87 lbf.
A new recovery system that retained the main chute inside the body of the rocket to prevent premature deployment.
A COTS FC (RRC3+) to deploy parachutes and two custom FCs for data logging.
A RunCam 6 for onboard footage.
HEDD System Lines Diagram
OpenRocket simulation predict a max apogee of ~1850 ft.
Head End Deployment Testing
Head End Deployment Testing
Previous separation systems faced an issue where excessive friction between the drogue chute and the deployment bay walls prevented proper deployment. To address this, I implemented a Head-End-Dual-Deploy (HEDD) system, placing the separation charges at the base of the nose cone rather than near the bulkhead. This results in a more energic separation (see image to the right).
Final Results
Final Results
Based on OpenRocket simulations and the reliability of the COTS flight computer, which had successfully enabled dual-deployment on other rockets, I was confident in the rocket’s successful launch and recovery.
On October 19th, I launched the rocket to approximately 1,500 feet and successfully recovered it using the same recovery system planned for Icarus, achieving my primary objective. Additionally, the two custom flight computers used for data logging provided valuable insights for developing an apogee detection algorithm and confirmed that the measured parachute descent rate aligned with theoretical predictions within an order of magnitude.
The rocket underperformed by approximately 300 feet, likely due to the unaccounted weight of the rocket and the drag effects of the RunCam mount. Despite this, the rocket remained intact, and the project was a clear success, as all primary objectives were achieved.
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