Propulsion

The Propulsion Subteam is responsible for developing our Student Researched and Developed (SRAD) motors, which involves formulating and testing new propellants, as well as manufacturing and integrating motor hardware. 

CURRENT MOTORS

High Altitude

Our High Altitude motor - dubbed “Kevin” is a 4" diameter, 86" long motor designed and built entirely by students.  This motor uses the same propellant as our SA Cup motor. Kevin performed exceptionally in a static fire test, providing nearly 3000 lbs of thrust in just under 6 seconds.

This year we are continuing to innovate our motor by repurposing our 8" SA Cup platform to better meet the needs of an ultra-high altitude flight.


SA Cup

Our SA Cup motor - dubbed “Charlie” is a 6" diameter, 48" long motor designed and built entirely by students.  Building on our previous propellants, our new formulation provides improved combustion efficiency and specific impulse.  Charlie performed flawlessly in 2021, propelling us to an overall competition victory in addition to clinching the 30kft SRAD division. Charlie continued the legacy left behind by Sheila providing approximately 5000 N of thrust in 7 seconds. 


After our success in the experimental 8" form factor, we are returning to the gold standard to dedicate more time towards developing our high altitude platforms. 


PAST MOTORS

Spaceport America Cup

2022: Jenny

Jenny was an 8" diameter, 18" long fully student developed O9000 delivering 12,000 N of peak thrust. This motor was purpose built to allow our 2022 rocket to reach its full potential at the 8" form factor. 


2020: Juliet

Juliet was a fully student developed 6" diameter, 48" long motor. This was the team's first foray into custom built motor hardware and casings. Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic this motor never reached the flight line; instead, many of the learnings and knowledge gained through this project were recycled into our design for 2021. 


2017-2019: Sheila

Sheila was a 6" diameter, 48" long motor. She performed flawlessly for 3 years straight, outputting ~1000 lbs of thrust over an 8 second burn. This motor was instrumental in clinching our victory in the 2019 SA Cup, 30kft SRAD division. 


Propellant Testing

Testing is a very important part of developing new propellant formulations because there are many characteristics of a propellant that cannot be accurately predicted analytically, thus much of propellant development is based in experimentation. Additionally, each full size motor is tested to ensure safe operation and to validate our predictions. 

The team has spent several years refining our fully custom data collection unit to collect pressure, force, and temperature data. This year we are looking to upgrade our ignition systems to make them safer and more reliable.

Propulsion Lead: Andrew Braun (braun833@umn.edu)

Would you like to attend a meeting? Check out the team calendar to find out when the next one is!