Project

Gee-Force One

2023

At Launch Canada 2023, we launched our tallest rocket yet, Gee-Force One. Some highlights of this rocket are HYDRA, the advanced SRAD avionics system featuring custom PCBs; and our brand-new telemetry ground station.

At the launch, our main parachute unfortunately deployed at apogee due to a miswiring issue with our COTS flight computer. Despite this, the overall flight of Gee-Force One was successful!

Not only was our maximum velocity (Mach 1.76) extremely close to our predicted value (Mach 1.84), but our SRAD avionics system HYDRA also performed as intended, logging more than 6 million data points! Another major success was the collection of footage during the flight, which was extremely helpful in post-flight inspections and analysis. We were even awarded 5th place in the Basic Launch Category!

Gee-Force One is currently on display in the John McEntyre Team Space in the STEM Complex (STM).

System architecture

Nose cone: COTS filament-wound G12 fiberglass

5:1 Von Kármán profile

6061-T6 aluminum external tip
Body tube: COTS filament-wound G12 fiberglass
Avionics bay: M5 x 0.8 Class 8.8 threaded rods

Birch plywood stabilizer plate
Recovery: COTS filament-wound G12 fiberglass ring

6061-T6 aluminum bulkheads

CO2 dual deployment for SRAD drogue and main parachutes
Motor mount: Carbon-fiber coupler stiffness ring

6061-T6 aluminum bulkhead

ABS assembly alignment ring
Fins: Four clipped-delta carbon-fiber fins
Boat tail: 6061-T6 aluminum
Avionics (HYDRA V2): Power board with a protected battery voltage rail

Logic board for sensor updates, telemetry, and SD-card logging

Communication board connecting the telemetry radio to the CAN bus

Recovery board with one RRC3+ and one SRAD ejection circuit

Independent Featherweight GPS tracker

Key switches
Ground station: Proxy receives and decodes radio messages

Web-based GUI displays real-time flight information

Designed system characteristics

Propulsion: COTS Cesaroni N5800 Pro98-6GXL C-Star solid motor
Predicted apogee: 7,027 m (23,055 ft)
Maximum velocity: Mach 1.8
Maximum acceleration: 232 m/s²
Dimensions: Height 3.12 m

Diameter 156.72 mm
Center of gravity: Full 2,061 mm from the nose tip

Empty 1,898 mm from the nose tip
Center of pressure: Minimum 2,349 mm from the nose tip

Maximum 2,488 mm from the nose tip
Mass: Dry 22.7 kg

Wet 31.8 kg
Stability margin: Minimum 1.8 cal

Maximum 3.9 cal
Launch configuration: 5.18 m rail

Rail departure velocity 42 m/s

Nominal rail angle 84°

Maximum wind velocity 8.3 m/s
Motor performance: Average thrust 5,774.1 N

Peak thrust 8,034.6 N

Initial thrust 6,701.3 N

Total impulse 20,145.7 Ns

Burn time 3.5 s

Specific impulse 228 s
Fin geometry: Four fins mounted 25 mm above the fin-tube base

Root chord 280 mm

Span 160 mm

Tip chord 120 mm

Sweep distance 160 mm
Parachute descent speed: Drogue 36 m/s at apogee +3 s

Main 4.6 m/s at 450 m AGL
Peak deployment force: Drogue 800 N at apogee +3 s

Main 3,000 N at 0.2 s after opening at 450 m AGL

Post-flight assessment

Apogee: 7,244 m (23,768 ft)
Maximum velocity: Mach 1.76
Structure: Nose cone, body tubes, couplers, and bulkheads intact

All shear pins cleanly sheared

Top launch lug damaged; bottom launch lug intact

Motor casing and fins intact

Slight chips on one fin from recovery; flyable

Some vinyl-wrap heat damage near the nose cone; flyable

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