Toby Thomson

Gryphon II

About

The Gryphon II was LURA’s 2nd flagship rocket. With it we tried to break the UK amateur rocketry altitude record from British soil. The vehicle was designed for Mach 2+ and an apogee of 13 km. I was the Project Lead up until the first test launch, after which the the team carried on while I was on placement. My prime responsibility was manging the timelines and finances though I also worked on several facets of the design. My notable contributions were to the Avionics Bay oversight and design of the “universal coupler” mechanism which allowed us to assemble the rocket in chunks, each coupling requiring only one M4 bolt whilst providing a robust mechanical and electrical interface.

Unfortunately, the vehicle was lost on ascent during the record attempt at Cape Wrath in 2025.

The machined parts.
The machined parts.
LoFi avionics testing.
LoFi avionics testing.
Assembled avionics.
Assembled avionics.
Post avionics test flight.
Post avionics test flight.
Wet-layup CFRP fincan sanding in the garden
Wet-layup CFRP fincan sanding in the garden
Nosecone pre-preg being laid up in custom split-mold.
Nosecone pre-preg being laid up in custom split-mold.
The vehicle split in half using the universal coupler.
The vehicle split in half using the universal coupler.
Assembled vehicle.
Assembled vehicle.
Successful test launch.
Successful test launch.
Bouyancy testing (planned sea recovery)
Bouyancy testing (planned sea recovery)
The team just before the second test launch in Scotland.
The team just before the second test launch in Scotland.