2024-2025 Liquid Project: Phoenix
The 2024 – 2025 liquid project is a liquid bipropellant that runs off of ethanol and nitrous oxide. It’s 6 inches in diameter and features a completely SRAD propulsion system using regenerative cooling and a split doublet type propellant injector to achieve more than 750 lb-ft of thrust. Phoenix will utilize COTS body tubes, parachutes, and telemetry systems.
The liquid project would like to make the following advancements with the 2024 – 2025 project:
- Launch the teams first liquid fueled flight vehicle (becoming one of only 12 teams to do so)
- Have a successful full static test fire
- Make advancements on the engine design using knowledge gained from the Typhon Engine and Dauntless
- Use past experience to improve procedures and inform design choices
Past Projects
2023 – 2024: Dauntless
- Liquid bipropellant engine
- Designed to create over 1,200 lb-ft of thrust
- COTS body tubes, parachutes, and telemetry systems
- Predicted speed of Mach 1.5 and apogee of 24,000 feet
2023: Typhon Engine
- Gaseous bipropellant engine
- 15 successful test fires
- Proved the team was capable of manufacturing a gaseous rocket engine
- Gained understanding of the control systems in a liquid engine
2020: Oberth Igniter
- Successful ignition test
- Tested a spark plug style ignition system
2019: Warlock Engine
- Featured a regen cooling system
- Was deemed not practical for the team to build