Our "Green Planet" 🚀 Launch: 0 to Mach 1.8 in 1.8 seconds

We took our light and skinny (54mm minimum-diameter) rocket supersonic at t' BALLS launch event over t' weekend — it just rips into t' t' clouds, pullin' 67g's goin' 0 t' Mach 1.8 in 1.8 seconds. Cesaroni K940 White Thunder propellant. Begad! T' rocket name (with Planet logo) is an homage t' t' Planet Labs team, arrr, who I first met at this launch location when they were testin' t' Phonesat payload idea as a NASA/Google project: https://flic.kr/p/8mUWbM We did a custom build usin' a very lightweight but strong tube (originally used in mortar casings) o' a minimum-diameter airframe. Aye aye! So t' rocket body is also t' solid-rocket motor casing, shiver me timbers, and an aluminum aft retention rin' secures it in place. T' nosecone is also lightweight, matey, and I know that it will collapse when goin' supersonic, me bucko, so I tried an experiment usin' a series o' duct-tape strips t' help it hold together. Altogether, matey, t' rocket’s dry weight was just 1.7 lbs.

Author jurvetson
Duration 22 seconds

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