PROPEL 2

Mission

In the fall of 2024, The Project for Rocketry Outreach Practice and Education in Level 2 (PROPEL 2) gave student members the opportunity to gain practical, hands-on experience in building rocketry kits as they worked towards their rocketry certifications. Once completed, PROPEL 2 will fly on a J350W to an expected apogee of 3,400'. Utilizing the onboard flight computer the drogue parachute will deploy at apogee and the main parachute at 1,000' altitude.

Additionally, PROPEL 2 featured significant upgrades compared to its predecessor, PROPEL 1. Most notably, it included a dual deployment parachute ejection system via an onboard COTS flight computer, giving students experience with electronic deployment systems. These upgrades were also designed to address the issues that led to the crash of PROPEL 1, ensuring a more successful flight and recovery.

Pre Flight Inspections

20241110_133450.mp4

Avionics Ground Testing

RESULTS

Students constructed PROPEL 2 in weekly supervised sessions at the ODU Makerspace Laboratory. Over 25 new student members attended our first session. With over 90% of our student members aiming to pursue their Level 1 (L1) certification, the project provided them with the necessary experience and knowledge to succeed, and 12 students successfully achieved their Level 1 certifications in fall of 2024 alone. This project was a crucial step in preparing our students, as our application for the International Rocket Engineering Competition began in October.

On November 16, 2024, PROPEL 2 successfully launched. All systems functioned as intended, including the dual deployment and flight computer, but the detonation charge did not break the shear pins as it did during ground tests. Although the shear pins held the main chute from deploying, the drogue chute deployed safely as intended, slowing the rocket enough to land intact and within a recoverable range.

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