Spaceshot is a single stage rocket designed to reach altitudes above the Karman line (100 km / 62 mi) and speeds in excess of Mach 5, on the largest composite solid rocket motor ever constructed by SRL.
As an organization, we have been working towards the goal of Spaceshot for over four years. Its development has necessitated the inception of the Composite Motor Development program, which has been instrumental in increasing our understanding of solid rocket motors and our growing expertise in their construction. Spaceshot’s unique construction requirements have also prompted initiatives designed to increase our ability to manufacture large scale custom composite components. The Diamondback project was created as a testbed for the manufacturing of Spaceshot-sized components. As we continue to develop our technology in these, fields we are learning and innovating along every step of the way!
First, we will reach space with a single stage solid rocket motor wound on our custom 4-axis filament winder. Once we have done this, we will tackle the goal of making a Spaceshot repeatable. Over the past few years, we’ve focused on developing the infrastructure to make this doable. We designed and built our 4-axis filament winder, bought a shipping container and designed and implemented structures for engine testing, improved documentation and engineering practices, improved propellant manufacturing practices and test procedures, and much more.
We are currently targeting May 2024 for the launch of Spaceshot. In order to achieve this:
- We are finalizing design and beginning construction of the horizontal test stand for the Spaceshot motor.
- We are refining our propellant production process to achieve greater burn consistency.
- We are researching and preparing to test thermal protection systems for the various components of Spaceshot.