LC 2024 - Zenith

‘Zenith’ is the USST’s first large-scale, high-powered rocket. Designed for the Basic Category of the 2024 Launch Canada Challenge. This rocket serves as a foundational project to build the team’s knowledge base using a simple, robust design centered on Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. 

Zenith is designed to reach an apogee of over 7,600 ft while validating the team’s design, manufacturing, and operational procedures for future, more advanced projects.

Specs

Diameter: 6″
Length: 10 ft
Total Mass: ~26 kg (~57.3 lbs)

Apogee: ~7,635 ft
Max Velocity: ~Mach 0.7
Motor Classification: M

Details

aIRFRAME

  • Nosecone & Body: COTS G12 fiberglass Von Karman (5:1) nosecone and body tubes for RF transparency and structural integrity.

  • Fins: Four G-10/FR4 clipped-delta fins with a 30-degree sweep, utilizing a through-wall mount to an internal motor tube and a surface mount with a tip-to-tip fiberglass layup for enhanced stiffness.

  • Bulkheads & Thrust Plate: All major structural plates, including the avionics bay bulkheads, motor retention, and thrust plate, are CNC-machined from 6061-T6 aluminum.

  • Assembly: The airframe is separated into three sections (Upper, Mid, Lower) for transport and assembly, connected by G12 fiberglass couplers.

AVIONICS

  • Flight Computers: Two independent COTS altimeters manage all recovery events.

    • Primary: Blue Raven Altimeter (barometric and accelerometer-based).

    • Redundant: RRC3 “Sport” Dual Deployment Altimeter (barometric).

  • Tracking & Telemetry: A BigRedBee 70cm (430Mhz) GPS/APRS transmitter provides live location, altitude, and velocity data for ground tracking.

  • Avionics Bay: A self-contained, removable 15.875″ avionics bay houses all electronics, isolated from ejection charges by stepped aluminum bulkheads.

RECOVERY

  • System: Dual-deployment, dual-separation system using black powder ejection charges.

  • Parachutes: COTS Fruity Chutes system, featuring a 24″ elliptical drogue parachute deployed at apogee and a 72″ Iris Ultra main parachute deployed at 1,500 ft AGL.

  • Redundancy: Fully independent and redundant systems, each with its own COTS flight computer, 9V power source, arming switch, and ejection charges for both drogue and main deployment events.

  • Harness: Oversized 1/2″ (6000 lb rated) Kevlar shock cord and Nomex protective blankets in each recovery bay to withstand ejection and snatch forces.

PROPULSION

  • Motor: COTS Cesaroni M1520 Blue Streak solid rocket motor with a total impulse of 7,579 Ns.

  • Casing & Ignition: Housed in a Pro98-4G motor casing and ignited via a competition-provided electrical igniter.

  • Mounting: Motor is retained by an aluminum bulkhead and transfers thrust to the airframe via a custom-designed aluminum thrust plate at the aft end of the rocket.

Launch Results

The team is proud of our LC 2024’s performance, despite finishing second to last in the competition. As our first entry into the challenge, we were thrilled that the rocket launched successfully at all. The entire process—from initial design and preparation through launch day and post-flight analysis—provided invaluable learning opportunities that have directly informed our approach to subsequent rocketry projects.

7,703 ft

Apogee

0.75

Max Speed

12th / 14

Ranking

Our Sponsors

MDA_Space_Primary_WHITE (1)

Projects like this are made possible by the generosity of our sponsors.

VIEW ALL OUR SPONSORS