Lowering the Barrier to Entry into Amateur Liquid Rocket Engines
Joined July 2021
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SN 17 taking to the skies yesterday to test out timer electronics for the Heavy (with SN 12's airframe, which is why we said the incorrect SN previously). Apogee 4003' on a short fill
We did a good launch of SN 12 and static test of Mojave Sphinx Heavy. For some reason the center core didn't fill with liquid nitrous oxide and therefore couldn't ignite, but all hardware is safe and undamaged. We'll diagnose and redo the test soon. Boosters worked great though
Well that was an easy root cause investigation. The center core's oxidizer fill check valve o-ring came off, went into the tank, and plugged the static vent, preventing it from filling.
The Heavy and SN 12 Shiro Sphinx are both ready for tomorrow's static test and electronics flight test.
Mojave Sphinx Heavy is now fully stacked and leak checked ahead of its static fire test a week from today. This will be the first ever clustered liquid in amateur rocketry, producing almost 500 lbs of thrust in total.
Today we configured the pneumatics plumbing for the Boron Lynx boosters and fit the whole stack together. Each booster will have a spring pusher that gives it an initial kick to start separating from the center core once the pin puller retracts.
The booster separation mechanism is a custom machined pyrotechnic pin puller. An e-match sets off the pyro charge, which actuates a piston to retract a pin from the attachment brackets.
Another reason to build Mojave Sphinx: There's now an IREC category for it! This is a fantastic opportunity for teams to put their own tweaks and optimizations on the design while competing in an internationally recognized competition.
