The Project

Pocket Rocket is SARP's first solid fueled rocket. It is just under 9 feet tall and is 8 inches in diameter. This vehicle serves as the team's testbed rocket, used for experimental payloads and structural designs. It features easily modifiable, bolted aluminum fins, a student researched and developed carbon fiber airframe and fiberglass nosecone, and can fly motors up to 98mm in diameter. Pocket Rocket flew for the first time in April 2024, to ~5,000ft on a M1419 motor and was fully recovered to be re-flown in 2025 and hopefully many more times in the future.

My Contribution

I joined SARP and was assigned to work on integration for Pocket Rocket. My work included designing, verifying, and manufacturing the thrust ring, nosecone coupler, and motor retainer. Through my involvement on the team, I also worked on the dry layups for the airframes and wet layups for the nose cone, along with post processing of both parts, and contributions to motor selection and performance analysis.

What I Learned

This was my first high power rocket project. I learned to used CAD, particularly SolidWorks, and how to design a part to be manufacturable. I also got trained to use the machine shop and the composite shop, and I got to manufacture large parts for the first time. Almost a year after the rocket was manufactured, the opportunity to fly it finally arrived. I created and presented a safety training to over 30 members of the team who were interested in going to the launch. I also created a launch checklist and ensured that it was properly executed at the launch site. The process of designing, building, and flying this rocket taught me a lot of engineering fundamentals and the experience of launching it taught me a lot about leadership and management.