Hybrid Rocket & Come-Back Rover: FAR-ARLISS 2023

Windward Community College
Hawai‘i Space Grant Consortium

Project Imua Mission 12 involves two rocket competitions on the mainland:

• FAR 2023 (Friends of Amateur Rocketry), which launches from the Mojave Desert in California during June.
• ARLISS 2023 (A Rocket Launch for International Student Satellites), which launches at Black Rock, Nevada in September.

Mission Goals

Project Imua Mission 12 involves the participation in two separate but related rocket competitions.  In June, WCC and HCC students will travel to Mojave, CA with their mentor to enter the FAR's 10/25 competition—the challenge is to build a liquid bi-propellant rocket that attains an altitude of 15-20,000 feet and recovered safely and intact.  The FAR’s launch will serve a dual purpose:  1. advance Project Imua’s experience with hybrid motors, and 2. test the payload (consisting of an autonomous rover with atmospheric sensors) that will be flown in the subsequent competition at Black Rock.  Once field tested at FAR, an improved version of this payload will be launched by a solid rocket motor at the ARLISS Come-Back competition at Black Rock, NV. The opportunity to fly the same payload in two different competitions affords the team a chance to enhance the overall design of the autonomous rover for two different environments.  The FAR requirement that the ascent vehicle use a hybrid motor, while ARLISS requires a solid fueled propulsion, gives further opportunity to test the ground safety protocols that could be used for future static propulsion studies at WCC’s Static Rocket Motor Test Facility.

Team members

Windward CC students:  Anya Dimitrijevic, Aden Badua, Hau'oli O'Brien

UHM student: Nikki Arakawa

UHWO student: Moises Alhambra, Jr.

WCC Mentor: Jacob Hudson, Jr. (Windward CC mentor)

Project Imua Director/Manager:    Joseph Ciotti (WCC)

Funding

Project Imua Mission 12 is funded under Hawaii Space Grant Consortium.

Poster

FAR-ARLISS 2023 Mission 12 Poster

HSGC Fellowship Symposium (Spring 2023)

FAR-ARLISS 2023 Symposium Presentation

Drop Test of Autonomous Vehicles ("Helicopter Seeds")

FAR-ARLISS 2023 Mission 12 Drop Test Results 

Video

Static test of hybrid motor (liquid N₂0 and proprietary solid fuel) on 5-6-2023