Mission: STRATUS
Mission Video
Mission Overview
The STRATUS Program represents West-Tek's first foray into mid-power rocket development, transitioning from low-power platforms to vehicles capable of supporting 24 mm motor systems. The program required full in-house design, fabrication, and systems integration — from airframe to avionics — executed with no external tooling beyond a desktop FDM printer.
The vehicle was designed and printed in New York, then transported and flight-tested at a remote launch site in Arizona under campaign conditions hosted by the Southern Arizona Rocketry Association (SARA). All engineering analysis, anomaly investigation, and field mitigation was performed by the West-Tek team.
The mission validated a modular, threaded airframe architecture and demonstrated a functional telemetry pipeline for altitude data collection on a fully 3D-printed platform.
Mission Objectives
Vehicle Architecture
Fin Can
Swept-fin geometry derived from Goblin-class designs, with an integrated shock-cord anchor and captive 24 mm motor mount. Fins printed as a single monolithic assembly to eliminate adhesive joints.
Threaded Airframe
Modular body tube segmented into threaded sections enabling tool-free field assembly and disassembly. Supports length extension for future payload or motor upgrades without structural redesign.
Avionics Bay
Dedicated payload bay housing a barometric altimeter for real-time altitude capture, interfacing with the threaded airframe and providing a datum for future electronics integration.
Anomaly Report
During the first Arizona launch attempt, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic motor failure immediately upon ignition. No flight data was recorded. The airframe was recovered without structural damage.
Post-incident investigation identified a known failure mode in some Estes motor batches: the clay nozzle cap can dislodge during ignition, causing loss of thrust and ejection of hot gases aft rather than through the nozzle — resulting in zero net thrust and motor destruction.
A circumferential bead of CA adhesive was applied around the clay nozzle cap perimeter prior to the second launch attempt, mechanically retaining the cap and preventing recurrence. The corrective action was validated on subsequent flight.
Mission Outcome
Following the field-implemented motor mitigation, the second launch attempt achieved nominal flight. The vehicle accelerated to apogee, deployed its parachute recovery system, and landed without damage.
Telemetry was successfully recovered from the onboard altimeter. All six mission objectives were satisfied. The STRATUS platform was declared flight-ready for future motor class upgrades.
Mission Gallery
