Our Current Projects:
Turbojet EngineNow on their second iteration, the Turbojet team is working to bring the first, student-built jet engine to Cal Poly. While their Winter Quarter test campaign was mostly successful, they are working on making the engine self-sustaining, with the hopes of attaching the system to a small-scale plane in the near future.
Tiny RocketTiny Rocket is an ongoing project for new SPT members looking to design, build, and test their own liquid rocket engine in 10 weeks (one Cal Poly quarter). From Freshman to Senior, anyone can join and, as long as they put in the work, they can fire their own liquid rocket engine on the MK1 stand. Throughout this process, members rapidly learn all about how to make a TCA and the design inputs, as well as develop DFM, safety, and project management skills. SPT is the only place in the world that facilitates an ongoing project like this.
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CPLCWe’re excited to be competing in the Collegiate Propulsive Lander Challenge: an international competition driving collegiate rocketry teams to vertically launch/land rockets. Our HOP team is made up of six, dedicated undergraduate members driven to be the first team to bring the capability to the collegiate level. So far, SPT has taken the Second Place prize for the Thrust Vector Control milestone, and the First Place prize for the Throttle Milestone. SPT is the only team to achieve two of the CPLC milestones, and is using the prize money from the first two milestones to fund the Vehicle.
MORE TO BE REVEALED... |
Previous Projects:
Goose: First Liquid Rocket
On May 25, 2024, 2:53pm, SLO Propulsion Technologies successfully launched Cal Poly's First Liquid Rocket, named Goose. Goose was our first liquid rocket, and continues our design beliefs solidified with MK1: a simple, minimum viable product. Utilizing a blowdown Nitrous/IPA feed system, Goose was inspired by the HalfCat and Kitfox rockets, but with a novel quick-disconnect/valve system. For a first time rocket, we couldn't be happier with how Goose performed. Here's the stats:
With Goose, Cal Poly joins the ranks of only a dozen schools worldwide to launch a liquid rocket, not to mention becoming one of an elite few that have launched a liquid above 10k. We couldn't be prouder to return home with this major accomplishment, carving a path for current and future Cal Poly students to launch liquid rockets. Hopefully, these students will hit the ground a little softer next time.
The video below shows the flight of Goose on May 25, 2024, marking a new era for liquid rocketry at Cal Poly.
- 15,300' Apogee
- Mach 1.1
- 7 seconds of Burn Time
- Ballistic Recovery
- 7.5 weeks from Initial Design to Flight
- $2,200 budget
- 25 lbs Dry, 40 lbs Wet
With Goose, Cal Poly joins the ranks of only a dozen schools worldwide to launch a liquid rocket, not to mention becoming one of an elite few that have launched a liquid above 10k. We couldn't be prouder to return home with this major accomplishment, carving a path for current and future Cal Poly students to launch liquid rockets. Hopefully, these students will hit the ground a little softer next time.
The video below shows the flight of Goose on May 25, 2024, marking a new era for liquid rocketry at Cal Poly.
Regeneratively Cooled Engine
Utilizing the MK1 test stand, a couple of SPT members worked to develop Cal Poly's First Regen Liquid Rocket Engine. Featuring a jacket/saddle design, the engine used an IPA/TEOS mixture to cool the copper chamber walls. Over multiple burp tests, the regen engine worked great both at lower and designed thrust. This regen engine was entirely manually machined, a subversion of recent 3D-printed regen engine developments at other colleges. Developed over the course of 10 weeks, SPT is proud to develop the first of this propulsion technology at Cal Poly, and hopes to utilize similar designs in the near future.
MK1 | DEMONSTRATOR
The MK1 Demonstrator was our first engine design, and strongly embodies our minimum viable product. For this first engine, we kept the design simple— and we appreciated as much what we've removed from its design scope as what we've added. Our freshman project utilizes an argon-pressurized fuel feed system and gaseous oxygen to power an engine operating in the 20lbf range. We chose ethanol and gaseous oxygen for safety/cost concerns, and due to the thorough handling and cleaning documentation available from industry. We worked closely with Cal Poly faculty and engineers from SpaceX, Relativity, and other companies to design, build, and test this system as safe as possible.
The video below, is of the Demonstrator's first test campaign, concluding with our first successful hot fire at design mixture ratio on May 11, 2023. This was the first successful hot fire of a club-built liquid bi-propellant rocket engine at Cal Poly SLO.
The video below, is of the Demonstrator's first test campaign, concluding with our first successful hot fire at design mixture ratio on May 11, 2023. This was the first successful hot fire of a club-built liquid bi-propellant rocket engine at Cal Poly SLO.
The MK1 Demonstrator will go on to be used for a series of diagnostic and experimental tests for future designs. The chamber's modular design allowed the easy substitution of prototype components for preliminary designs.
