Soaring Heights of Innovation: Student-Built Spacecraft Smashes Altitude Barrier
The University of Southern California's student-run Rocket Propulsion Lab (USCRPL) has once again made breaking news. On October 20, their latest creation, Aftershock II, was launched from the Black Rock Desert launch site in Nevada and successfully reached an unprecedented altitude for an independently designed and built suborbital rocket.
Aftershock II, standing at 13 feet tall (3.9 meters), reached a velocity of 5,283 feet per second (1,610 meters per second) and soared to a maximum altitude of 89 miles (143.3 km) above Earth's surface, surpassing the previous record by a significant 90,000 feet (27,432 meters). This feat marks the first time a non-government or private-company-owned rocket has reached this far into space.
The USCRPL team refined their initial design for the Traveler IV rocket and created Aftershock II. Equipped with a new avionics unit and improved safety and data integration, the rocket was also equipped with a thermal protection system featuring new paint and titanium-coated fins to increase its endurance at hypersonic speeds. The thermal protection paint system performed flawlessly, enabling the rocket to return largely intact.
Dan Erwin, chair of the USC Department of Astronautical Engineering, praised the Aftershock II project, stating that it is exceptionally ambitious, not only for a student team, but for any non-professional group of rocket engineers. In 2019, the USCRPL became the first student organization to launch a rocket beyond the Karman Line, and with Aftershock II, they have once again shown their commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
The private industry continues to ramp up its operations, and it's good to see an independent group of aspiring rocket engineers striving to reach new heights on their own. The students behind Aftershock II hail from the University of Stuttgart, demonstrating that the pursuit of space exploration is a truly global endeavour.
This milestone achievement by the USCRPL team serves as a testament to the power of determination and innovation. As they continue to reach for the stars, we can only imagine what the future holds for these aspiring rocket engineers.
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