Rocket Project¶

Modified from: Victoria Harbour Science and Technology Innovation Team "Campus Aerial Rocket" Project Proposal

Rocket¶

Project status: In progress

Project Background and Significance¶

Under the national advocacy for technological innovation and emphasis on cultivating students' practical abilities, there remains a gap in campus teams with complete innovation cycle capabilities. The Victoria Harbour Science and Technology Innovation Team focuses on the aerospace engineering field, planning to develop a small sounding rocket that can be launched reliably, using a self-developed solid propellant, aiming to fill the gap in campus innovation and demonstrate the team's interdisciplinary integration and engineering practice capabilities.

The project's core objective is to launch the rocket safely to an altitude of around one hundred metres, and to recover a complete record of flight altitude data and flight footage from onboard recording equipment. Compared with high-altitude drone photography, this solution offers better feasibility in terms of equipment costs, structural complexity and the practical barrier to entry, while accumulating technical experience for subsequent campus high-altitude observation and flight data collection. This lays the foundation for the team to gain official school recognition, establish a specialized innovation team, and contribute to the construction of campus technological innovation culture.

Project Core¶

1. Propulsion: Self-Developed Solid Fuel¶

The project uses solid fuel as its propellant, based on a potassium nitrate and sorbitol (KNSB) formulation, and improves specific impulse and combustion stability step by step through oxidiser particle-size control, metal additives and process refinements. Solid fuel requires no pressurisation or feed mechanism, so the structure is simple and ground handling is safe, making it the most reliable choice under the team's current engineering conditions. The formulation and improvement paths are detailed in the fuel improvement plan, and the models and fuel specifications in the supplementary materials.

2. Altitude Logger: A Quantified Flight Envelope¶

The rocket body carries a barometric altitude logger that records pressure and temperature data at a fixed sampling interval throughout the flight. After landing the data is exported and converted into an altitude-time curve. This curve is used to assess the actual apogee, the timing of the ascent phase and the moment of parachute deployment and recovery, providing quantitative evidence for the next round of fuel formulation and airframe structural improvements, and turning a launch test from "watching the result" into "having the data".

3. Video Recorder: A Visual Record of the Flight¶

The rocket body carries a small video recorder that captures the launch, ascent, parachute deployment and landing in full. The footage is used both to review flight attitude and component reliability and directly as material for project reports and outreach, making the technical process visible.

Early Goals¶

The technical targets envisaged at the start of the project were higher than the team's current engineering capability and budget allow, and have now been adjusted to the baseline plan (see "Project Core" above). The following goals are retained as long-term directions and are not acceptance criteria for the current phase:

OP-25 engine: The original plan used a commercial OP-25 engine as the core power source; this has been replaced by a self-developed solid-fuel engine.
Precise 100-200 m altitude-hold flight: The original plan achieved precise altitude hold and active attitude control at around one hundred metres; this has been replaced by passively logging the actual altitude curve, with no active control.
Panoramic imaging: The original plan carried a panoramic camera to capture campus panoramic images; this has been replaced by a video recorder that documents the flight.

Phase Priorities¶

Project advancement follows a clear phase plan. Fuel formulation comparison and basic testing have been completed (Fuel Type 3 tested, Fuel Type 4 under test), laying the material foundation for subsequent airframe design and launch testing.

Subsequent work will proceed logically from "design to implementation":

Rocket Body Structure 3D Modeling: Precisely plan the dimensions, materials, and assembly relationships of rocket body components through digital design, ensuring structural strength and aerodynamic performance meet standards.
Component Production: Process core components such as engine mounts, rocket body shells, and recorder mounting devices according to modeling standards.
System Integration: Integrate propulsion, recording, recovery and other systems into a complete rocket body.
Launch Testing: Verify the synergy of all systems through launch testing, achieving project objective closure.

Project Timeline¶

Part 1: Design and Material Preparation Phase (Weeks 1-2)¶

Required Personnel: Lin Zhiyang, Zhang Yingfa, Xiao Ziyang

Hold project kickoff meeting, clarify member roles, collect key data such as engine parameters and recorder dimensions, determine rocket body design specifications.
Complete preliminary rocket body structure design, divide components including recorder bay, engine bay, recovery bay, and fins, determine dimensions and connection methods.
Use CAD software to complete rocket body 3D modeling, optimize model and check component compatibility, export 3D printing files and determine printing parameters.
Start 3D printing equipment, test printing sample accuracy and strength, adjust parameters for batch printing, simultaneously purchase engine mounts, connecting wires, parachutes, and other accessories.
Complete post-processing of printed components, verify procurement list and supplement missing accessories, establish material ledger, review issues and clarify subsequent assembly priorities.
Write the ground test and data export programs.

Part 2: Assembly and Functional Testing Phase (Weeks 3-4)¶

Required Personnel: Lin Zhiyang, Zhang Yingfa, Yue Yunlang, Xiao Ziyang

Set up assembly workbench, install main rocket body framework, fix engine bay base, ensure stable and centered engine installation.
Embed the altitude logger and connect power and signal wires; test circuit continuity and logging stability; install the recorder bay and fix the video recorder, connect power supply lines and test startup and storage functions.
Install and reinforce fins, check rocket body verticality, conduct first system power-on test, verify the assembly state of the recording equipment and the propulsion system.
Conduct rocket body static strength testing, reinforce weak areas; run a ground static firing of the solid-fuel engine to check thrust output and burn time.
Conduct ground simulated testing, verify recorder triggering and data export functions, analyze test data and develop optimization solutions.

Part 3: System Integration and Launch Execution Phase (Weeks 5-7)¶

Required Personnel: All five members

Design parachute bay structure, install release mechanism and test its function, integrate parachute bay into rocket body, conduct second system integration test.
Conduct outdoor small-scale recovery testing, observe parachute deployment and rocket body integrity, adjust mechanism sensitivity, compile test report confirming core systems meet standards.
Survey launch site, determine launch point, observation points, and safety zones, develop launch procedure plan and emergency measures, prepare launch equipment.
Conduct full-system rehearsal at the site, simulate pre-launch inspection procedures, review equipment wear conditions, hold pre-launch mobilization meeting to clarify responsibilities.
Conduct final comprehensive inspection and debugging of rocket body, report launch information and coordinate security, transport equipment to site and complete final calibration before launch.
Conduct formal launch according to plan, monitor flight and recording status in real-time, recover rocket body and recording equipment and export altitude data and footage, hold summary meeting to organize achievement materials.

Expected Outcomes¶

Physical Outcome: 1 set of small solid-fuel rocket capable of reliable launch (including propulsion, recording, and recovery systems).
Data Outcome: 1 complete set of flight altitude-time curves and in-flight footage.
Technical Outcome: Technical documents including design drawings, fuel formulation records, and test reports generated during project implementation, providing reference for subsequent projects.
Team Outcome: Formation of a team prototype with interdisciplinary innovation capabilities, providing practical basis for gaining official school recognition as a specialized team.

Members and Responsibilities¶

Departments overview