Preliminary Testing for the Oklahoma State University Spaceshot Rocket

Oklahoma State University (OSU) is developing a student-designed, two-stage sounding rocket with the goal of crossing the Kármán line (100 km or 330,000 ft). This paper discusses the preliminary design process of using a series of technology demonstrator rockets to mitigate risk while working up to a spaceshot launch. Subsystems that are being developed and tested include custom filament-wound composite airframes, high-altitude head-end ignition (HEI), and single-break dual-deploy recovery systems. Successful flights have been accomplished up to 28,000 ft, with a launch planned to 100,000 ft in September. The findings highlight the effectiveness of in-house manufacturing techniques and the importance of addressing coning and ignition robustness in high-altitude launches.