Rice Eclipse

Check out Rice Eclipse's April 2019 Countdown Newsletter:

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This morning, a group of Eclipse members traveled to Rice's South Annex facility to conduct a cold flow of the Titan engine. Due to an approaching thunderstorm, we decided to pack up before completing pressurization. We did raise the test stand and conduct partial avionics and leak tests though. The team plans to proceed with a final cold flow and hot fire of the engine later this month.

In addition, the Recovery subteam tested a new experimental pyrotechnic bolt design. While it will not be implemented in this year’s Spaceport America Cup competition rocket, it has the potential to enhance the reliability of parachute deployment in our future launch vehicles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3L85tGMTqA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHpLdhkjtSk

Mobile Test Stand Raise (4/7/2019) On April 7th, Rice Eclipse conducted a practice raise of the trailer-based test stand that will be used for firing the Titan rocket engine.

On March 3rd, the Rice Eclipse team conducted two hot fires of the Luna hybrid rocket engine. The first test, the seventh of this propulsion system, implemented gas injection thrust vector control and a new impinging injector plate geometry. The second test used a recently machined combustion chamber and bulkhead as well as a new batch of chemicals

Luna Hybrid Engine Test (3/3/19) On March 3rd, the Rice Eclipse team conducted two hot fires of the Luna hybrid rocket engine. The first test, the seventh of this propulsion system, implemen...