Material Girl Launch Report

TL;DR

Material Girl was a two-stage sounding rocket developed with improved design features, using optimized motor and fin configurations, and controlled by commercial avionics, demonstrating advancements in small-scale rocket technology.

Contribution

The paper presents the design, development, and flight of a new two-stage sounding rocket with optimized components and control systems, building upon previous rocket designs.

Findings

Successful flight of the rocket demonstrating improved performance.

Effective use of optimized motor grain geometry and fin dimensions.

Integration of commercial avionics with custom payload systems.

Abstract

Material Girl was a two-stage sounding rocket designed and flown during the 2022-2023 academic year. Weighing a total of 197 lbs and measuring 176 inches in length, the vehicle incorporated many improvements from the team's previous rocket, Mr. Blue Sky. The rocket used a Student Researched and Developed (SRAD) P-class motor on each stage, a mechanical staging system, and recovery systems for the booster, sustainer, and nose cone. Flight events were controlled by a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) avionics flight computer, with a custom flight computer carried as a payload. The motor grain geometry and fin dimensions were optimized using an in-house software developed from RASAero and RocketPy.