Mission Overview
The Vanguard mission is a final showcase of team’s efforts for 2022-2023 year. Due to the absence of a launch opportunity at Tripoli Tampa, the team traveled for three and a half hours to the new launch field, Spaceport Rocketry Association, in pursuit of their goals.
Throughout the day,the team encountered various electronics issues that were fixed after long hours of working at the field.
After a day of preparation, the Vanguard rocket finally took flight at 4:35 PM. Despite the absence of footage from the onboard and ground cameras (they turned off because of the heat), the team successfully launched the rocket, reaching altitude of nearly 6400 feet. Following its ascent, the rocket descended and landed around 4000 feet away from the launchpad.
The recovery of the rocket presented its own challenges as it became entangled in the dense foliage of Florida’s landscape. Through teamwork, the team located and retrieved the rocket after a demanding 30-minute effort. Although the shock cord had to be cut due to entanglement and the drogue parachute suffered some damage, the team celebrated the recovery without major losses.
In celebration of their hard-earned victory, the team stopped at Wawa for a well-deserved meal before returning to Sarasota around 9:30 PM.
As the team continues to push the boundaries of experimental rocketry, the Vanguard mission serves as a testament to the resourcefulness and innovation of high school students.
Following the Vanguard mission, Team True Fire is conducting a thorough post-flight analysis to uncover the factors behind the discrepancy between the predicted and actual altitude achieved by the rocket. While simulations had anticipated an altitude in line with our projections, the flight itself reached a height approximately 2000 feet below the expected value.
Stay tuned for the forthcoming flight report, which will provide a comprehensive analysis of the Vanguard mission and shed light on the factors contributing to the variation in altitude. We appreciate your continued support as we strive to advance our understanding of rocketry.
Rocket Info:
Vanguard rocket was powered by an engine with total impulse of 2715Ns. According to our computer simulations, it is able to accelerate weighting 16 lbs rocket to 8350 ft and Mach 1.0.
The rocket was equipped with the Altus Metrum Easy Mini primary altimeter, Missile Works RRC2+ secondary altimeter, and Eggfinder TX GPS unit, ensuring accurate data collection and tracking throughout the missions.
Safe recovery of the rocket was ensured by 36in parabolic drogue parachute and 96in main parachute which was deployed at 800ft.
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