Following a strong finish in the 2022 Spaceport America Cup with a 1st place finish in the 30,000 foot Student Researched and Developed (SRAD) Solid Fuel category, 2nd place finish in the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) Payload Challenge, and 3rd place finish in the overall competition, West Virginia University Experimental Rocketry (WVUER) made the decision to take a step back from the 30,000 foot SRAD competition category. For the 2023 Spaceport America Cup, WVUER competed in the 10,000 foot SRAD competition category. Putting the “experimental” into experimental rocketry, WVUER debuted several new construction techniques with this entry. Blue Ridge Blazer flew on the club’s first iteration of an in-house wound filament fiberglass airframe, the beginning of a new payload concept, Torricelli, and the use of a new propellant, Nevada Aerospace Science Associates (NASSA) Blue.
Launch Day 1 - June 21st, 2023
Weather conditions in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Truth or Consequences are warm, dry, and a bit windy given the climate and nature of the desert. This year’s competition saw just as hot temperatures, drier conditions than what the competition team saw last year, and wind gusts that were stronger than what has been seen in recent years. These gusts ranged from 15-25 mph and caused many significant delays throughout each launch day. Taking into consideration the wind conditions, rocket components that needed tended to, and the team’s comfortability in launching on Day 1, a collective decision was made to hold off on flight attempts until the second day.
Launch Day 2 - June 22nd, 2023
The WVUER Competition team left for the Spaceport VLA from their VRBO at 4:30 a.m. MST. After setting up base in Truth or Consequences after arrival at 6:30 a.m., prep for flight on Blue Ridge Blazer began shortly after with it concluding around 11:20 a.m. With a prepped rocket, members of the pad team took the rocket up to the ESRA Final Safety Review Check Table. At 11:30, ESRA Safety Reviewers gave WVUER their green flag, and Blue Ridge Blazer was go for launch.
An unknown amount of wind holds and what has been called a miracle throughout the team later, Blue Ridge Blazer was loaded up onto the two-stage launch pad for the last flight of the day. It was at this point that the launch day turned into one of the most fast paced periods of time that anyone on the team has experienced. At 3:30 p.m., the rocket was loaded onto the rocket cart, and the WVUER pad team left the VLA for the two-stage pad area. Reaching the pad area at 4:00 p.m, Blue Ridge Blazer was slid onto the rail. WVUER personnel began assembling the camera, which would record an on-board video of the flight, and arming its electronics at 4:06 p.m. Immediately following the activation of all camera electronics, Blue Ridge Blazer stood up on the pad at 4:10 p.m, with tracking electronics being armed at 4:11 p.m. As the final step of the team’s pad work, the propulsion lead and deputy propulsion lead set to work at putting the igniter in the motor at 4:14 p.m. Following unexpected issues with connecting to the GPS trackers on board, one last wind hold, and the whole team’s arrival at the two stage pad, Blue Ridge Blazer launched at 4:30 p.m.
Even though the success of Blue Ridge Blazer and the 2023 competition can’t be measured the same way as Appalachian Sunset and the 2022 competition in terms of number of trophies brought home, it can be measured with what the team accomplished and did throughout the school year. On the aerostructures team, the team lead and members were able to create the first iteration of in-house filament wound fiberglass airframe tubes and motor mounts with the use of an X-Winder machine from our sponsors Material and CADWind. The team also tested new ways of constructing and designing fins by creating molds out of 3D prints. On the payload team, research was started for an 8.8 lb payload project named Torricelli with the purpose of collecting rocket pressure data during flight. On the propulsion team, members and the propulsion lead went through a 9-month planning and testing process of propellant that WVUER could potentially use for future 10,000 foot SRAD competition entries.
No matter what WVUER encounters, whether it be something that happens in the lab they call home, the launches they test their skills at, or the desert they compete in, they always attack each problem with a way to reach the solution needed for what they’ve been handed to solve. For the Spaceport America Cup 2023, WVUER and Blue Ridge Blazer placed 69th out of 128 teams overall and 8th out of 13 teams in their category. It wasn’t an outcome that was expected when the team entered the competition, but it’s pretty safe to say that the competition results were what was needed in the end. WVUER looks forward to returning and competing again the 30,000 foot SRAD category as part of Spaceport 2024.
Elizabeth Breckenridge
Tripoli #21851
WVUER Vice President
All work done for the competition couldn't have been done without the help of the team's sponsors and the much appreciated advice of the team's advisors: Dr. Joseph Pscolka Jr. and Dr. Patrick H. Browning. The WVUER team greatly appreciates all the help that has been given to them for this project and all previous projects, and can't wait to work with them again on the 2024 competition rocket, Miner's Lady.