High Altitude Project
The High Altitude Project aims to go where few have gone before, and develop the necessary skills and technology to do so. With a long-term goal of reaching space at 100km, recent development has been focused on two-stage vehicles.
The High Altitude Project aims to go where few have gone before, and develop the necessary skills and technology to do so. With a long-term goal of reaching space at 100km, recent development has been focused on two-stage vehicles.
Very few amateur launch sites in the US are capable of launching rockets to high altitudes and up to space. It is a rare experience to be able to build a rocket to reach such lofty goals, and our team is eager to meet the challenges that come with it.
Very few amateur launch sites in the US are capable of launching rockets to high altitudes and up to space. It is a rare experience to be able to build a rocket to reach such lofty goals, and our team is eager to meet the challenges that come with it.
2024
2024
After the lessons learned from Phoenix, the project decided to take a new approach. The team began to work on a 2-stage vehicle, which would be more efficient than our single stage design and provide a strong foundation for a future space shot. The team's first 2-stage vehicle was a test rocket named Fireboy & Watergirl, which successfully flew three times in 2024 and reaching an apogee of 3,400ft. Its successful test campaign validated our design and led to the construction of Fenrir.
Fenrir flew at North Branch, MN on July 28th on two SRAD motors. High wind speeds caused the sustainer motor to ignite at a greater angle than expected, but overall ascent was nominal and the sustainer, Skol, reached an apogee of 12,500ft. Unfortunately, recovery deployment failures caused the booster to break on impact and the sustainer to be lost. While a sour note to end a great launch and project year, Fenrir was a great success. It reached all target objectives for 2-stage validation, and future 2-stage endeavors are more possible thanks to what Fenrir accomplished.
2023
2023
Project Phoenix took to the skies on the afternoon of July 29th, 2023 at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. This 8 inch diameter, 18.5 ft tall, 485 lb single-stage rocket pushed the bounds of collegiate rocketry, boosted by an R-class, Student Researched and Developed (SRAD) motor named Helena. Every part of this vehicle was custom designed and manufactured. At 2,000 ft AGL, 2.4 seconds after launch, the motor experienced an overpressurization leading to a CATO, resulting in destruction of the vehicle. The target altitude for this flight was 322,000 ft and was expected to reach mach 4.5 along the way. Despite the failure, it was an impressive flight and rocket overall, and the team will take many learnings from this project into future developments for the high altitude project, as focus is now shifting towards 2-stage rockets on the team.
Project Phoenix took to the skies on the afternoon of July 29th, 2023 at the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. This 8 inch diameter, 18.5 ft tall, 485 lb single-stage rocket pushed the bounds of collegiate rocketry, boosted by an R-class, Student Researched and Developed (SRAD) motor named Helena. Every part of this vehicle was custom designed and manufactured. At 2,000 ft AGL, 2.4 seconds after launch, the motor experienced an overpressurization leading to a CATO, resulting in destruction of the vehicle. The target altitude for this flight was 322,000 ft and was expected to reach mach 4.5 along the way. Despite the failure, it was an impressive flight and rocket overall, and the team will take many learnings from this project into future developments for the high altitude project, as focus is now shifting towards 2-stage rockets on the team.
2022
2022
This year we began the development of our biggest project yet. With the intent to jump over the 100,000 ft mark, we reworked all of our designs to meet the new set of requirements that come with high altitude flights. Included in these new challenges is the design of our biggest propulsion module to date, re-envisioned recovery strategy, and an emphasis on Launch and Structural simulations.
This year we began the development of our biggest project yet. With the intent to jump over the 100,000 ft mark, we reworked all of our designs to meet the new set of requirements that come with high altitude flights. Included in these new challenges is the design of our biggest propulsion module to date, re-envisioned recovery strategy, and an emphasis on Launch and Structural simulations.
In order to maximize our altitude, we are combing over every part in our design to lose weight and practice our engineering expertise in the calculation and simulation of the strength of our vehicle. With two years going into our current rocket, We are confident we will meet our goals and exceed our team's altitude record on a successful flight.
In order to maximize our altitude, we are combing over every part in our design to lose weight and practice our engineering expertise in the calculation and simulation of the strength of our vehicle. With two years going into our current rocket, We are confident we will meet our goals and exceed our team's altitude record on a successful flight.
2021
2021
This sub-minimum diameter rocket was 4" in diameter and just under 13 feet tall. The SRAD motor was debatably the most impressive part of this rocket, classified as ~O6,000 with around 23,000 Ns total impulse, and stretching nearly 8' tall. Highlights included SRAD parachutes (annual and disk-gap-band), and a welded steel fincan. The launch occured at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site in the Mojave desert. There was a structural failure of the aluminum body tube at around 3,500' AGL which caused the top half of the rocket to break off, with the motor continuting fly mostly stable for the rest of the burn. The motor was recovered 3 months later by FAR staff a few miles away from the launch site.
This sub-minimum diameter rocket was 4" in diameter and just under 13 feet tall. The SRAD motor was debatably the most impressive part of this rocket, classified as ~O6,000 with around 23,000 Ns total impulse, and stretching nearly 8' tall. Highlights included SRAD parachutes (annual and disk-gap-band), and a welded steel fincan. The launch occured at the Friends of Amateur Rocketry (FAR) site in the Mojave desert. There was a structural failure of the aluminum body tube at around 3,500' AGL which caused the top half of the rocket to break off, with the motor continuting fly mostly stable for the rest of the burn. The motor was recovered 3 months later by FAR staff a few miles away from the launch site.
2020
2020
This year we continued to develop the sub-minimum diameter design using one of our own propellant formulations, and refined the structure of the rocket, possibly reducing the weight of the aluminum coupler.
This year we continued to develop the sub-minimum diameter design using one of our own propellant formulations, and refined the structure of the rocket, possibly reducing the weight of the aluminum coupler.
We also began experimenting with two-stage rockets with the goal of eventually launching a two stage rocket at Spaceport America in the coming years.
We also began experimenting with two-stage rockets with the goal of eventually launching a two stage rocket at Spaceport America in the coming years.
2019
2019
This rocket used a sub-minimum diameter construction in where the motor casing formed the airframe of the rocket, and the upper section body tubes were constructed from tubes normally used for coupler tube. This design allowed us to reduce weight, and the cross sectional area of the rocket to reduce drag. This required us to design and fabricate a custom made aluminum coupler that connected the upper body tube directly to the top of the motor. The motor was a Cesaroni 6 grain-XL motor that accelerated the rocket at 40g's at liftoff, and successfully powered the rocket to mach 3.2 and an altitude of 44,000 ft, setting the record the the maximum altitude reached by any rocket we've built yet.
This rocket used a sub-minimum diameter construction in where the motor casing formed the airframe of the rocket, and the upper section body tubes were constructed from tubes normally used for coupler tube. This design allowed us to reduce weight, and the cross sectional area of the rocket to reduce drag. This required us to design and fabricate a custom made aluminum coupler that connected the upper body tube directly to the top of the motor. The motor was a Cesaroni 6 grain-XL motor that accelerated the rocket at 40g's at liftoff, and successfully powered the rocket to mach 3.2 and an altitude of 44,000 ft, setting the record the the maximum altitude reached by any rocket we've built yet.
2018 - Hiatus
2018 - Hiatus
2017
2017
This was our first year doing this project and we built a 54mm minimum diameter rocket. The rocket pulled 40g's on liftoff, and blew out its nozzle on ascent reducing its apogee from an anticipated 40,000 ft to about 20,000 ft. This rocket was intended to be used as the upper stage of a two stage rocket in the future.
This was our first year doing this project and we built a 54mm minimum diameter rocket. The rocket pulled 40g's on liftoff, and blew out its nozzle on ascent reducing its apogee from an anticipated 40,000 ft to about 20,000 ft. This rocket was intended to be used as the upper stage of a two stage rocket in the future.
High Altitude Project Lead: Rory Conway (conwa331@umn.edu)
High Altitude Project Lead: Rory Conway (conwa331@umn.edu)
Would you like to attend a meeting? Check out the team calendar to find out when the next one is!
Would you like to attend a meeting? Check out the team calendar to find out when the next one is!