The first rocket designed and built by students reaches the space

A rocket propulsion laboratory team from the University of Southern California (USC) (RPL) launched the first rocket designed and built by a student beyond the limits of space. They have also successfully retrieved their spacecraft 8 inches in diameter and 13 feet tall at 20 km from where they launched it.

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90% certainty

Internal analysis of flight data said with almost certainty that the rocket, called the traveler IV, had crossed the Kármán line. "We can say 90% that the last passenger of RPL, the traveler IV, crossed the line Kármán, the recognized border between the atmosphere and the space of the Earth," said Neil Tewskbury, head of operations at RPL .

The rocket would have reached an altitude of 340,000 feet. The Traveler IV quickly accelerated to more than 17 g to reach its maximum speed of 4970 ft / s, or Mach 5.1, during its 11.5 second of combustion engine, then traveled the remaining 140 seconds to reach its maximum speed of 4970 ft / s. at a maximum altitude of 340,000 feet or 103.6 km, "revealed the statement.

The avionics system of RPL recorded the flight using its on-board sensors. He also deployed the parachutes of the vehicle at the climax, allowing the rocket to fall safely on land. The flight lasted 11 minutes in total.

"After almost 15 years and probably over a million hours of work, RPL has finally achieved its goal: to be the first group of students to launch the first rocket designed by a student and built around of the Karman line, "said Chief Engineer Dennis Smalling.

The fourth time is the charm

This was the university's fourth attempt to cross the border of space. More than 80 undergraduate students participated. RPL was founded in 2004 by Ian Whittinghill, a student.

The group is a great opportunity for students to learn both how to build rockets and how to collaborate. "People often ask why USC encourages students to participate in the construction of amateur rockets," said David Barnhart, astronaut research professor at USC Viterbi and director of the Space Engineering Research Center.

"In addition to the incredible hands-on experience that translates classroom knowledge into a functional rocket, it's usually the first time that many people build and create something as big as a classroom." ;a team. The fact that they do it themselves and benefit from a unique introduction to astronautics gives them incredible motivation and enthusiasm that lasts throughout their career. "

The RPL team is already working on a liquid fuel vehicle, the deployment of CubeSat, the active stabilization of rockets and new models of solid engines.