Starting August 2017, UCI Rocket Project is seeking to develop the first ever bi-propellant liquid fueled engine for UCI. After receiving a $1.1 million donation from the non-profit group Base 11, we are receiving the necessary support and resources to be successful. We will be competing in the Friends of Ammeter Rocketry (F.A.R.) competition on 5 May, 2018 where we will seek to place first with a Methane-LOX engine and stand to win up to $100,000 for the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. In addition, UCI Rocket Project will also participate in the FAR 1030 competition on 2 June, 2018 as a good learning experience for the team.
In order to compete in the F.A.R. competition, we must develop a bi-propellant liquid fueled rocket that reaches an altitude of 45,000 feet. We must also have an engine with a specific impulse no greater than 9,208 lb-sec. Finally we must also carry and recover a 2.2lb payload undamaged which will be used as our scoring mechanism. Additionally we will be seeking to be included in the Mars competition which goes along with the F.A.R. competition. The only factor that changes for this competition is that our engine must be a Methane-Liquid Oxygen engine.
For the 1030 competition, the rocket is only required to reach 30,000 feet or 10,000 feet, but the payload will be more complicated, requiring the avionics team to implement more advanced technology comparable to those of satellites and rovers. It will be a great opportunity for the team to move one step closer to the space exploration industry.
Within half a year, the team has successfully developed the first version of an engine run on Methane and Liquid Oxygen as propellant. The “Poseidon” engine, which name comes from the fact that the flame when Methane combusts is blue, is expected to have 1300 pounds of thrust, which is capable of firing a rocket to the target height 45000 feet. Various testings and simulations has also been performed to ensure safety and efficiency for the competition day. (Read more about the Poseidon engine here.)
In addition to being the first liquid fueled rocket at UCI, in using Methane as our fuel we are partaking in the ground breaking research of Methane as a possible fuel. There is an abundance of carbon dioxide found on Mars and it can be used to make methane. Due to this, methane may be the most practical fuel to use for a round-trip mission to Mars so that fuel for the return mission would not have to be brought all the way from earth.