Development of the Polish Small Sounding Rocket Program

• The need for sounding rocket development can still be seen.
• An educational program, dedicated to rocket vehicles, has been started in Poland.
• Numerous test vehicles were launched, what enabled calculation verification.
• Advanced propulsion concepts, including using detonation engines, were utilized.
• A future small sounding rocket for professional use can be built.

AbstactThis paper gives an overview of the Amelia small rocket program, developed to build low cost, reusable CanSat launchers and enable the construction of sounding rockets in Poland in the near future. The CanSat payload standard requires experiments to be containable in soda cans of 350 ml volume with a launch mass of up to 500 g. The paper covers early flown rocket designs as well as the recently tested two-stage Amelia 2 vehicle. A single stage, larger CanSat launcher is also presented. All of the vehicles are propelled by reusable composite solid rocket motors that will make it possible for small scientific experiments to be sent to altitudes of up to 10 km. One of the main goals is to develop rockets that are fully recoverable and reusable, thereby reducing operational costs. The sounding rocket that is viewed as a possible outcome of the presented research is also discussed. The work on the first rotating detonating engine flying demonstrator is also covered. This paper contains descriptions of the main subsystems of the rocket. Key technical facts and the vehicle visualizations are presented. The design methodology and calculation methods are also given. The paper contains a description of the technical equipment and background developed during the program, including propellant and motor production facilities and the launch pad. The results of the program, focused on using innovative propulsion technologies, are presented. This work is based on results of the joint project of the Space Technology Department of the Institute of Aviation and the Division of Aircraft Engines of the Institute of Heat Engineering of Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) with a key role played by members of the Students׳ Rocketry Group of the WUT Students׳ Space Association.