Heartbreak was my first attempt at a custom medium-power rocket. It flew an Aerotech G80T motor, and reached about Mach 0.5 according to simulations. The nosecone and fin assemblies were designed in Solidworks and printed on a Prusa Mk4. I flew this rocket at an event in Southern Washington with the UBCO rocketry team.

This project aims to build and fly a small “hopper” test vehicle, as a stepping stone towards more complex propulsive landing projects. To get around the constraint of solid rocket motors being typically unable to throttle, the vehicle will utilize two Thrust Vector Control (TVC) gimbals. In order to increase/decrease the net vertical thrust, the two gimbals can both pitch inward or outward, with the resulting horizontal force components cancelling out. Additionally, the TVC can provide roll, pitch, and yaw control. By using Apogee F10 motors, we can achieve a maximum flight time of 7 seconds. This vehicle aims to serve as a VTVL testbed, developing experience and knowledge towards future active control, flight computers, and propulsive landing projects. A key aspect of the design is modularity and flexibility, allowing the frame and any other hardware developed to be used in future projects. For this year, the end goal is to demonstrate a controlled hop at the Launch Canada 2026 Tech Development Challenge.