GER 2016
Ger camp is located near Tarbes
The FSX32 project of CLES-FACIL
The rocket was designed and built in a year by a team of thirteen
people. Two nominal launches were carried out: the first on July 28 with
an igniter simulating the presence of the second engine and the second
flight with a real engine. Both flights were successful and all parts
(first stage, second stage and warhead) were found intact. The
architecture of the rocket is directly inspired by that of FSX 31 which
performed a flare flight. It had suffered a premature opening of a
parachute box which had caused the rocket to dislocate in flight. We
therefore designed FSX 32 based on our previous experiences. All
problems with previous versions of our bi-stage rockets have been
resolved making FSX 32 very reliable (2 nominal flights 2 days apart).
The electronics have been designed to be modular and reusable since last
year, and this is why FSX 32 takes the electronics of FSX 31 by greatly
improving it, including a thorough Human-Machine interface. Originally,
the rocket was to carry a Cansat housed in the warhead, which would be
ejected at the apogee. Due to lack of human resources, it was not
carried out.
|
Rocket assembly |
Assembly |
|
2-stage separation test
|
On the way to controls
|
|
Ramp compatibility test
|
Mechanical tests |
|
Controls are Ok, head for the ramp |
The rocket is in place on the ramp, ready for the engines to be set up.
|
|
The traditional team photo |
Ready for the first launch
|
|
Return after the 1st launch for refurbishment. First the first floor ... |
... then the second
|
|
The rocket is again ready for the second launch, this time with the 2 engines
|
Take off
|
|
On the left trajectory of the two combined stages, and on the right ignition of the second engine
|
Photos taken by the camera on board the second floor: on the left the door to the first floor opens, in the middle the parachute comes out and on the right the parachute is deployed. |
|
After recovery, we can clearly see that the ignition of the second stage has taken place.... |
...and that the first stage was also blackened by the second stage thruster. |
