OUR LAUNCH VEHICLES
OUR LAUNCH VEHICLES
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2025 PSAS Open House! Wed April 16th 5:00 - 9:00pm!
LV stands for Launch Vehicle. Each vehicle is numbered in the order that we built it. The majority number is the rocket class, for example "LV2.x" is the same rocket design with minor adjustments or additions. Each minor division is a build of the LV#.x design.
In total, PSAS has built 7 rockets. Over the years, most of the rockets have completed many launch missions. LV2.3 was our primary workhorse rocket for nearly 7 years.
FUTURE: LV4
FUTURE: LV4
Length: ~ 8.3 m
Mass: ~ 373 kg GLOW, ~ 152 kg dry mass
Airframe: 0.3 m OD modular aluminum isogrid fuel tanks and airframe sections, with composite nose, fins, and boat tail.
Propulsion: Liquid Oxygen + Isopropal Alcohol
Max Altitude: ~ 100 km
Avionics: 2U OreSat CubeSat
Flights: TBD
CURRENT: LV3.1
CURRENT: LV3.1
Length: ~ 4 m
Empty Mass: ~ 20 kg
Airframe: 15 cm OD modular carbon fiber sections, fiberglass radio section, aluminum pass-through sections, first generation aluminum isogrid recovery sections
Max Altitude: ~ 5 km
Flights:
L-14 (scheduled Summer 2023): Our current rocket, next up for launch! Will demonstrate newer carbon fiber modules with more stiff interconnects, new electromechanical recovery system, and first of the isogrid modules.
LV3.0
LV3.0
Length: 3.88 m
Empty Mass: ~18 kg
Airframe: Modular carbon fiber sections, fiberglass radio section, aluminum pass-through sections
Max Altitude: ~1.5 km
Flights:
L-13 (2018--03-19): Airframe destroyed near max Q due to lack of rigidity under tension when experiencing aeroelastic bending.
LV2.2
LV2.2
Length: 3.35 m
Empty Mass: ~20 kg
Airframe: Modular aluminum body sections, fiberglass aeroshell
Max Altitude: 5.0 km
Flights:
L-6, L-7, L-8, L-9, L-10, L-11, L-12
7 successful flights. Demonstration of active roll control using canards and "spin can" fins, new Ethernet-based Avionics system based on Linux flight computer, SDR GPS, and DxWiFi telemetry.
LV2.1
LV2.1
Length: ? m
Empty Mass: ? kg
Max Altitude: 0 km
Airframe: Modular aluminum body sections, fiberglass aeroshell
Flights:
L-4 (2003-09-21): Destroyed on launch due to badly bonded fin can.
LV2.0
LV2.0
Length: ? m
Empty Mass: ? kg
Max Altitude: 5.5 km
Flights: L-3 (2003), L-5 (2005)
Airframe: Modular aluminum body sections, fiberglass aeroshell
Flights:
L-3 (2002-09-22): Successful airframe demonstration.
L-5 (2005-08-20): Airframe destroyed due to failure of pyrotechnic parachute deployment. Sucessfully demonstrated Linux-based flight computer with CAN peripherals including IMU, cameras, and DxWiFi long distance telemetry.
LV1
LV1
Length: 3.35 m
Empty Mass: 20.8 kg
Max Altitude: 3.7 km
Recovery: Three 1 m parachutes for payload and 3 m parachute for airframe.
Airframe: Fiberglass tubing
Propulsion: Hand-made "M" class solid fuel motor
Flights:
L-1 (1999-04-04): Successful airframe only test.
L-2 (2000-10-07): Successful test of avionics system, including IMU, GPS, video and telemetry downlinks, and emergency uplink.
LV0
LV0
Length: 1.83 m
Empty Mass: 5.53 kg
Max Altitude: 0.3 km
Recovery: Payload: 1.2 m parachute, Body: 0.9 m parachute. No flight sequencing computer: separation and recovery handled by chemically timed motor ejection charge.
Airframe: Cardboard with 3 fiberglass layers from commercial kit.
Propulsion: COTS "K" class solid fuel motor
Avionics: single axis accelerometer on audio of Amateur radio TV broadcast system
Flights:
L-0 (1999-06-06): Successful flight.
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