Gryphon II Block II

About

Our 2nd attempt at taking the UK amature rocketry altitude record. This time in 9 months with a core team of only four, an apogee of 15 km and top speed of Mach 2.3; I was the project lead and one of the main contributors to the design. Much was carried over from G2, with several improvements made to manufacturability and dyanmic stability ("bigger fins;more good"). The avionics was all off the shelf in the interests of getting the thing done, though carefully specified by me to fit in a very small working volume.

Again, there was a test launch and subsequent record launch at Cape Wrath. This time the vehicle survived ascent(!), deployed the drogue parachute (despite what the BBC article says) and then drifted toward the expected landing location out to sea before losing line of site on the telemetry links. Our recovery boat was unable to stay out long so we went home empty handed, though we did head some RDF beeps ~40 minuites after the modelled landing time (expected flight time ~10 minuites), so we know the vehicle touched down safely. We suspect we were within a couple of kilometers of it on the water.

It was a brilliant project and the team, flight simulator, and vehicle all performed excellently. I'd give it a 9/10.

One of the universal couplers copied over 1:1 from G2.

One-piece printed aluminium fincan with hollow fins to minimise roll-induced instability.

Bonded aluminium socket the nosecone tip screws into.

We bought a boat for recovery testing. Show here breaking it in.

Confirmed the vehicle was passively bouyant.

On the pad for the test launch, with supervisor.

Setting the scene for the Cape Wrath launch.

Weather ballons released before the high altitude flight to model the descent trajectory as accurtely as possible.

The vehicle on the pad for the record launch.