Tufts SEDS Rocketry Team
Tufts SEDS Rocketry Team
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AQUARIUS - 12oz Payload
AQUARIUS - 12oz Payload
Aquarius is my 5th rocket project, designed to fly a 12oz can on any 29mm, 38mm, or 54mm diameter motor. Building upon the threaded two-part nosecone design used on Little Dipper, I challenged myself to push this concept to the limits, and design a rocket to carry a standard can of beer on a 3" diameter airframe.
Aquarius is my 5th rocket project, designed to fly a 12oz can on any 29mm, 38mm, or 54mm diameter motor. Building upon the threaded two-part nosecone design used on Little Dipper, I challenged myself to push this concept to the limits, and design a rocket to carry a standard can of beer on a 3" diameter airframe.
To reach this goal, I needed to design a nosecone that was larger than the nominal airframe diameter, and had enough thread contact area to ensure separation was not a risk. I modeled a large Falcon 9 fairing - style nosecone, with a high thread count to maximize contact area. I was able to 3D print this in PLA with a Prusa CoreONE, and a slow print speed. I designed the fin assembly to fit a 54mm motor, but due to cost and avilability, I ended up wanting to fly on a smaller impulse motor. To accomodate this, I designed 3D printed motor adapters, to fit into the bottom of the rocket to allow me to launch Aquarius on either a 38mm or 29mm diameter motor. All modeling was done in PTC OnShape.
To reach this goal, I needed to design a nosecone that was larger than the nominal airframe diameter, and had enough thread contact area to ensure separation was not a risk. I modeled a large Falcon 9 fairing - style nosecone, with a high thread count to maximize contact area. I was able to 3D print this in PLA with a Prusa CoreONE, and a slow print speed. I designed the fin assembly to fit a 54mm motor, but due to cost and avilability, I ended up wanting to fly on a smaller impulse motor. To accomodate this, I designed 3D printed motor adapters, to fit into the bottom of the rocket to allow me to launch Aquarius on either a 38mm or 29mm diameter motor. All modeling was done in PTC OnShape.
I modeled my fins after the Tintin Moon Rocket, since I wanted a fun design for my silly rocket concept. I cut the fins out of 6mm birch, since it was cheap and available, and thick enough to survive a hard landing. Fin flutter was not a concern with 6mm fins either, at least under the speeds a 29mm or 38mm motor would provide.
I modeled my fins after the Tintin Moon Rocket, since I wanted a fun design for my silly rocket concept. I cut the fins out of 6mm birch, since it was cheap and available, and thick enough to survive a hard landing. Fin flutter was not a concern with 6mm fins either, at least under the speeds a 29mm or 38mm motor would provide.
I was able to launch Aquarius twice within a week timeframe, on February 15th, 2026, and February 22nd, 2026. These launches were conducted on the frozen Lake Winnipesauke, in New Hampshire. Both flights were nominal with a complete recovery. The maiden flight was on an Aerotech J425 Redline, and the second flight was on an Aerotech H115 Metalstorm. Both flights carried an IPA payload, which was recovered undamaged both times.
I was able to launch Aquarius twice within a week timeframe, on February 15th, 2026, and February 22nd, 2026. These launches were conducted on the frozen Lake Winnipesauke, in New Hampshire. Both flights were nominal with a complete recovery. The maiden flight was on an Aerotech J425 Redline, and the second flight was on an Aerotech H115 Metalstorm. Both flights carried an IPA payload, which was recovered undamaged both times.
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