L2 Rocket

Level 2 High-Powered Rocket

Independent project · May 2026–present · Recovery systems testing

Overview

Individually designed and manufactured a high-powered rocket. Actively testing parachute ejection charges in preparation for launch.

Background

High powered rocketry (HPR) is the design and manufacture of rockets utilizing H class, 160N×s total impulse, or greater motors. The field of HPR is highly technical and requires an extensive amount of learning and guidance to be successful. There are nationally recognized certifications that demonstrate your understanding and knowledge of HPR, these are L1, L2, and L3 certifications, offered by either the National Association of Rocketry (NAR) or Tripoli. To achieve an L2 certification you must design, manufacture, and successfully launch and recover a rocket that uses a J to L class, 640N×s to 5120N×s total impulse, motor.

Design & Simulation

I designed my L2 rocket in OpenRocket, an open-source software that simulates the aerodynamics and trajectory of a virtually defined rocket to predict flight performance and stability. I designed my rocket with an Ogive-style nosecone which operates well in subsonic flight regimes, while an ellipsoid nosecone would have been slightly more optimal I have a non-engineering reason for choosing the pointy one. I chose normal-swept trapezoidal fins for their increased control. The motor I selected was a 38mm Aerotech J425R, which has a 676 N×s total impulse, and met the requirements for certification. Additionally, this motor was well regarded as being reliable amongst rocketry experts at the University of Central Florida. OpenRocket simulation shows an apogee of 3300ft and 100s flight time with a ground hit velocity of 19.3ft/s.

I modeled my rocket in SOLIDWORKS. My model included internal components like fin tabs, centering rings, and bulkheads. Which assisted in sizing material during procurement and ensured manufacturability and compatibility of components.

Recovery & avionics

The recovery for my Compared to my L1 rocket, OpenRocket simulations for my L2 show an additional 1400ft of altitude bringing my apogee to ~3200ft. At this height a main parachute deployment would result in ~186s of flight time this could result in anywhere from 0.5mi to 0.8mi of drift distance. This is an extreme risk for recovery, presenting the risk of drifting out of the launch site and into hazards such as roads, powerlines, and bodies of water. Additionally, the launch site is covered in 6ft of sawgrass making locating a rocket extremely difficult. To mitigate these risks, I’m utilizing a dual deployment recovery scheme to lower drift time. This involves the use of two ejection charges and two parachutes, one ejection charge at the end of the motor burn to deploy a drogue chute at apogee and one separate ejection charge to deploy the main at a set altitude of 900ft. An altimeter with pyro channels will be used to control the activation of the separate ejection charge, specifically an off-the-self Featherweight Bue Raven Altimeter. This cuts the drift time down to ~103s which brings the drift distance to between 0.3mi and 0.45mi. This is an improvement from before and generally solves the problem of drifting into hazards. However, there is still the risk of losing the rocket all together. To solve this issue, I will utilize a GPS tracking system, specifically an off-the-shelf Featherweight Swift Tracker. This GPS tracker will bring the search area down significantly, but to act as a redundancy and to be the final leg of recovery, I will utilize a “screamer” which is simply a personal alarm that will be activated and attached to a shock cord prior to launch.

Upper Avionics Bay

The GPS tracker will be placed in an upper avionics bay to ensure a clear view of the sky for its GPS module.

Lower Avionics Bay

The altimeter will be placed in a lower avionics bay so there is simultaneous access to both the lower and upper body tubes for ejection charge deployment.

Manufacture

The nosecone was 3D printed out of ABS on my Bambu P2S. The fins, bulkheads, and centering rings were laser cut out of 0.25in basswood at the UCF TI Lab. The body tube consists of two 4in diameter 34in length cardboard airframe purchased off the shelf from LOC Precision. The motor tube is a 38mm diameter 14in length cardboard inner tube purchased off the shelf from LOC Precision. Recovery equipment such as the 36in ripstop-nylon main parachute and 12in ripstop-nylon drogue parachute were purchased off the shelf from Rocketman Parachutes. 25ft of Kevlar shock cord, and two 12in Nomex fire blankets were purchased off the shelf from Apogee Rockets. Any fastener or hardware like quick-links or eyehooks were purchased from Home Depot and Ace Hardware. The entire rocket is epoxied together using JB Weld and is awaiting painting and a name.

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