Berkeley's LOX-Propane Rocket Takes to the Skies

December 3, 2023 (Reuploaded)

Back in December, Space Enterprise at Berkeley finally flew Eureka 1, a bipropellant Reusable Launch Vehicle equipped with one of their signature ablative motors. This was their first flight test of a bipropellant rocket, and was preceded by one of the fastest and most thorough testing campaigns by a University team. Nevertheless, liquid rocketry is a complicated subject, and a midflight anomaly ejected the crucial recovery drogue. Without this drogue, the rocket was doomed to impact the ground, but in-flight telemetry and GPS tracking transferred enough data to help analyze the flight in greater detail than otherwise.

So long as the Berkeley team remains strong and receives the support it deserves, the next flight should very well proceed as it was designed to.

Drone and in-flight footage and in-flight telemetry courtesy of SEB.

0:00 Loading the Rocket onto the Rail
0:44 Raising the Rail
1:17 LOX Loading
2:16 Preflight Procedures
2:54 Terminal Count
3:34 Flight Telemetry
4:08 Post Flight
4:26 Frankie and Bella
4:41 Yeetmas

[Vatsyayana]

Well done, seems the only issue was the rail system on the strong back. Looks like it bit pretty hard on final moments of separation which seemed to have kicked the rocket hard over, possibly causing a little damage resulting in the flippy floppy ride through out. But the rocket still flew hard and somewhat controlled anyway.
So very well done team, it was beautiful, make more :)
Do you think the guide is needed at all on one this size? I wouldnt have any idea but it seems like it might be your main enemy as of right now lol
Bravo.

[TheExplosiveGuy]

Why Propane? Doesn't it require too much oxygen to be efficient?

[kayboku]

Wow congratualtions that was a huge effort and big success! Although i couldnt help think that flight had kerbal wobbly rocket syndrome going on haha :)